I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. But it was not until much later that I was able to get any real sleep. In a place far away from anyone or anywhere, I drifted off for a moment.

What happens when people open their hearts?"... "They get better.

The passage of time will usually extract the venom of most things and render them harmless

Having an object that symbolizes freedom might make a person happier than actually getting the freedom it represents.

I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life, a new personality. I guess it's part of growing up; it's also an attempt to reinvent myself.

I can't imagine how American readers will react to a novel, but if the story is appealing it doesn't matter much if you don't catch all the detail. I'm not too familiar with the geography of nineteenth century London, for instance, but I still enjoy reading Dickens.

I may be the type who manages to grab all the pointless things in life but lets the really important things slip away.