We realized that the version of the world they rendered for us was not the version of the world they really believed in.

Virgin suicide What was that she cried? No use in stayin' On this holocaust ride She gave me her cherry She's my virgin suicide

girls forbidden to dance would only attract husbands with bad complexions and sunken chests.

I tell my students that when you write, you should pretend you’re writing the best letter you ever wrote to the smartest friend you have. That way, you’ll never dumb things down. You won’t have to explain things that don’t need explaining. You’ll assume an intimacy and a natural shorthand, which is good because readers are smart and don’t wish to be condescended to.

There are some books that reached through the noise of life to grab you by the collar and speak only of the truest things.

She was a large, disordered woman, like a child's drawing that didn't stay within the lines.

I always work in a room where there's no Internet to keep from being distracted so easily.