Small mistakes tend to lead to large ones. Ours is a lifetime appoinment, and all you have is your reputation. Once it's gone, it doesn't comeback.

Why can't people just sit and read books and be nice to each other?

As a lawyer, as a private citizen, you see a lot of injustice. You see a lot of people who should have been punished and are not, and people who were punished wrongfully are not vindicated. Fiction is sort of a way to set the record straight, and let people at least believe that justice can be achieved and the right outcomes can occur.

It's hard, Cotton. To let yourself love something you know you may never have.

Most people associate reading with laying on the beach. They don't see that it's crucial for a democracy!

The military is a very cool world to write about. I went down to Ft. Benning, Ga., for military training, and I learned a lot about soldiers and officers and why they joined up and what their life has been like.

Confidence is one thing, disrespect is quite another. (Justice Elizabeth Knight)