In the traditional urban novel, there is only survival or not. The suburban idea, the conformist idea, that agony can be seen to and cured by doctors or psychoanalysis or self-knowledge is nowhere to be found in the city. Talking is a way of life, but it is not a cure. Same with religion.

The essence of charity ... was not deciding what others needed and giving it to them, but giving them what they wanted.

You cannot be an egomaniac on the horse. If you lose your temper and start beating him, either you will destroy him, or he will destroy you. As soon as you start riding horses seriously, you're being disciplined on a daily basis about how ignorant you are and what there is left for you to learn.

I thought I might write mysteries for the rest of my life.

Vets do what doctors used to - diagnose the injury or the condition, patch it up as best they can and remind you that these things happen and that in life we are also in the midst of death.

Gossip. The more you talk about why people do things, the more ideas you have about how the world works.

There is something I have noticed about desire, that it opens the eyes and strikes them blind at the same time.