You don't fight to protect warships or old men. Like the book says, you fight to save your civilization. And so often it seems that civilization is composed mainly of the things women and children want.

I was surprised when shortly after New Year's Day of 1983, the Governor of Texas summoned me to his office, because I hadn't been aware that he knew I was in town.

I wondered how a man ever got an English girl into bed. What did they do with her hockey stick?

Rampaging horsemen can conquer; only the city can civilize.

An age is called Dark not because the light fails to shine, but because people refuse to see it.

Things are going to go wrong, and I think we are false to life if we don’t portray it. But there is also the hope that some lucky clown is going to come along and stumble into the gold mine. And I think you are also entitled to hold out that hope.

You write that first draft really to see how it's going to come out.