Old age is not a good thing. It can be really hard, and those of us who have it a little easier should keep in mind that there are hundreds of thousands of people who are not as well off.

I really believe one of the jobs of a writer is to stretch as far as you can into other voices.

I didn't write any fiction until I was past thirty.

Sometimes before people know what they're saying, they already love the language.

It's a terrible thing to die young. Still, it saves a lot of time.

I liked the education. I liked people learning things all around me and I liked going to people's classes.

All that is really necessary for survival of the fittest, it seems, is an interest in life, good, bad or peculiar.