American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.

Every four years the naive half who vote are encouraged to believe that if we can elect a really nice man or woman President everything will be all right. But it won't be.

It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.

Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.

I like Italy. I was always at home there, it's a marvelous place to become invisible. Nobody bothers you and nobody is interested in you and I find that very good for work.

Democracy is supposed to give you the feeling of choice, like Painkiller X and Painkiller Y. But they're both just aspirin.

In a society like ours, politics is improvisation. To the artful dodger rather than the true believer goes the prize.