In the twentieth century one of the most personal relationships to have developed is that of the person and the state. It's become a fact of life that governments have become very intimate with people, most always to their detriment.

I've known several cases of writers who decide to write about something and they research the hell out of it and when they're ready to write, they can't move because they are so burdened. I start writing. Whatever I need somehow comes to hand.

The three most important documents a free society gives are a birth certificate, a passport, and a library card.

We are all good friends. Friendship is what endures. Shared ideals, respect for the whole character of a human being.

The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like.

Because like all whores you value propriety. You are creature of capitalism, the ethics of which are so totally corrupt and hypocritical that your beauty is no more than the beauty of gold, which is to say false and cold and useless.

When you're working well, you don't do research. Whatever you need comes to you.