When love exists, nothing else matters, not life’s predicaments, not the fury of the years, not a physical winding down or scarcity of opportunity.

Most people feel younger than their age, but the culture values youth, success, beauty, productivity. There is no space in this culture for older people.

I am very grateful for the success, because it has given me the freedom to write without pressure, in my own way, and has enabled me to maintain my family and educate my children and grandchildren, as well as to create a Foundation to empower women and girls.

When a man's earning his living doing things he doesn't like, he feels like a slave; when he's doing what he loves, he feels like a prince.

My books are written from personal experience, from memories, and from stories that come to me from all places.

My writing comes not from the happy moments, but from struggle and grief.

Only in romance novels or in thrillers people live outside of a social and political context.