I'm always determined that as a novelist I'm going to go out there and research my characters very thoroughly before I start writing.

To be well in your mind you have first to be free.

I think that the relationship between two top-level athletes who are rivals is one of the most fascinating human relationships to explore. It's always one atom away from being a tragedy.

We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, 'I survived'.

If your face is swollen from the severe beatings of life, smile and pretend to be a fat man.

There's what people say, and there's what people mean, and I like to explore the difference between the two.

You may think that's funny Osama but you never can squeeze every last bit of pride out of a human being. It's like a tube of toothpaste. You can twist it and you can crush it but there's always a tiny bit left isn't there?