Strong and independent? I’m neither. I’m just being pushed along by reality, whether I like it or not.

There weren't any curtains in the windows, and the books that didn't fit into the bookshelf lay piled on the floor like a bunch of intellectual refugees.

The curious thing about individuals is that their singularity always goes beyond any category or generalization in the book.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, no wind, and everything was quiet around us - all we could hear were birds chirping in the woods. The war seemed like something in a faraway land that had nothing to do with us. We sang songs as we hiked up the hill, sometimes imitating the birds we heard. Except for the fact that the war was still going on, it was a perfect morning.

Spend your money on the things money can buy. Spend your time on the things money can’t buy.

The good thing about writing books is that you can dream while you are awake. If it’s a real dream, you cannot control it. When writing the book, you are awake; you can choose the time, the length, everything. I write for four or five hours in the morning and when the time comes, I stop. I can continue the next day. If it’s a real dream, you can’t do that.

Sex is an extremely subtle undertaking, unlike going to the department store on a Sunday to buy a thermos.