For me, the most painful thing is the thought of shelves without books. This is the problem with the digital thing. I do not want to see it on electronic. I do not want to see all of those indices on Kindle. I don't want this physical object to disappear, because when it's there and it's present, it's continually suggesting new relationships in a way that an electronic index couldn't.

After every ''victory'' you have more enemies.

I knew it like destiny, and at the same time, I knew it as choice.

The curious are always in some danger. If you are curious you might never come home.

Always in my books, I like to throw that rogue element into a stable situation and then see what happens.

I have a list of titles that I leave at the [library] desk, because they are bound to be written some day, and it's best to be ahead of the queue.

I keep telling this story - different people, different places, different times - but always you, always me, always this story, because a story is a tight rope between two worlds.