George P. A. Healy; "I knew no one in France, I was utterly ignorant of the language, I did not know what I should do when once there; but I was not yet one-and-twenty, and I had a great stock of courage, of inexperience—which is sometimes a great help—and a strong desire to be my very best.

And read… read all the time… read as a matter of principle, as a matter of self-respect. Read as a nourishing staple of life.

Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard.

The most interesting people are never perfect.

History is about life. It's awful when the life is squeezed out of it and there's no flavor left, no uncertainties, no horsing around. It always disturbed me how many biographers never gave their subjects a chance to eat. You can tell a lot about people by how they eat, what they eat, and what kind of table manners they have.

There's an awful temptation to just keep on researching. There comes a point where you just have to stop, and start writing.

I'm drawn particularly to stories that evolve out of the character of the protagonist.