From the girl who sat before me now...surged a fresh and physical life force. She was like a small animal that has popped into the world with the coming of spring. Her eyes moved like an independent organism with joy, laughter, anger, amazement, and despair. I hadn't seen a face so vivid and expressive in ages, and I enjoyed watching it live and move.

No, I don't want your money. The world moves less by money than by what you owe people and what they owe you. I don't like to owe anybody anything, so I keep to myself as much on the lending side as I can.

Young people these days don't trust anything at all. They want to be free.

To be able to talk to your heart’s content about a book you like with someone who feels the same way about it is one of the greatest joys that life can offer.

There's no such thing as perfect writing, just like there's no such thing as perfect despair.

I'm not afraid to die. What I'm afraid of is having reality get the better of me, of having reality leave me behind.

Spending plenty of time on something can be the most sophisticated form of revenge.