When I think about what fiction does morally, I'm happier thinking of a person full of multiplicities - sort of fragmented.

I keep thinking of Robert Stone making the distinction between the word sublime and the word beautiful. He described being in a battle as sublime. Because even though people were dying, it was such a huge sensory experience that it became sublime.

As one gets older, this question of death, becomes more vexing and urgent.

Compassion doesn't have to be weak or enabling; it can also be quite bold.

To me that really would be the essence of kindness, to have one's awareness so developed and refined that you could tell just what was needed, and not do any more or any less, and maybe not even be aware of what you had done, except it would be a helpful thing because of how fully present you were. Well, as Aerosmith once famously said: Dream on.

That seems to be the definition of 'novel' for me: a story that hasn't yet discovered a way to be brief.

If you could press a button and your ego investment was less, the toothache would be less. Or less tragic at least.