A professional writer is a joke. You write because you can't do anything else, and then you have another job.

I'm always telling my students go to law school or become a doctor, do something, and then write. First of all you should have something to write about, and you only have something to write about if you do something.

One's obligation every day, is to choose to follow the nobler one.

If I describe a person's physical appearance in my writing, which I often do, especially in fiction, I never say someone is "black" or "white." I may describe the color of their skin - black eyes, beige skin, blue eyes, dark skin, etc. But I'm not talking about race.

What I really want to write about is injustice and justice, and the different ways human beings organize the two.

None of us seem to think that we should draw a line under what would be a satisfactory amount of wealth.

When I'm writing, I think about the garden, and when I'm in the garden I think about writing. I do a lot of writing by putting something in the ground.