I conceive of God, in fact, as a means of liberation and not a means to control others.

Remember, to hate, to be violent, is demeaning. It means you're afraid of the other side of the coin -- to love and be loved.

If you think too far ahead, if you even try to think too far ahead, you'll never make it.

The young think that failure is the Siberian end of the line, banishment from all the living, and tend to do what I then did - which was to hide.

I was guilty and irritated and full of love and pain. I wanted to kick him and I wanted to take him in my arms.

There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one’s head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people’s pain.

I often wonder what I'd do if there weren't any books in the world.