He was violating the second rule of the two rules for getting on well with people that speak Spanish; give the men tobacco and leave the women alone

Write as well as you can and finish what you start.

You can write any time people will leave you alone and not interrupt you. Or rather you can if you will be ruthless enough about it. But the best writing is certainly when you are in love.

I've been wondering about Dostoyevsky. How can a man write so badly, so unbelievably badly, and make you feel so deeply?

In the morning there was a big wind blowing and the waves were running high up on the beach and he was awake a long time before he remembered that his heart was broken.

Everybody has strange things that mean things to them. You couldn't help it.

I kissed her hard and held her tight and tried to open her lips; they were closed tight.