People always think that history proceeds in a straight line. It doesn't. Social attitudes don't change in a straight line. There's always a backlash against progressive ideas.

I remember everything but forgive anyway.

What a damnably lonely profession writing is! In order to do it, one must banish the world, and having banished it, one feels cosmically alone.

Turning fifty ... is like flying: hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

I think men have always been afraid of women's sexuality, and the restrictions they put on women testify to that.

Is a currency worth anything if no one wants it? We used to buy shoes in Italy. Remember?

In a world where women work three times as hard for half as much, our achievement has been denigrated, both marriage and divorce have turned against us, our motherhood has been used as an obstacle to our success, our passion as a trap, our empathy for others as an excuse to underpay us.