Boys mystified me, although I dreamed vaguely of men.

My publishers are wonderful because they have let me write what I wanted to. They're wise enough to know that, with any author who's not simply writing formulas - who's trying to create something new - pressuring them to do something for market purposes almost always backfires. I can't imagine working under those circumstances, actually.

Festina Lente (Hurry in slowly)

Sometimes people damage paintings or sculpture because they love it. They throw their arms around a statue in a fit of hysterical passion and it falls over.

You are a total stranger and you want to take my library book.

In the end, I always act from the heart, even if I also value reason and tradition. I wish I could explain why, but I don't know.

It touched me to be trusted with something terrible.