to be understood is not a human right. Even to understand oneself is not a human right.

Only lies and evil come from letting people off.

People have obsessions and fears and passions which they don't admit to. I think every character is interesting and has extremes. It's the novelist privilege to see how odd everyone is.

... a less than perfect meddling in the spiritual world can breed monsters for other people.

Freedom may be a value in politics, but it is not a value in morals.

It is not enough that I succeed, everyone else must fail.

Good writing is full of surprises and novelties, moving in a direction you don't expect.