As an English major I was familiar with the stories of dozens of writers trying to get their work done among the multifarious diversions of the world and the hurdles of their own vices. A professor had said that what saved writers is that they, like politicians, had the illusion of destiny that allowed them to overcome obstacles no matter how nominal their work.

New Yorkers are mostly interested in New York - in case you haven't noticed.

Fate has never ladled out hardship very evenly, and this frequently trips our often infantile sense of justice.

I like grit, I like love and death, I'm tired of irony. ... A lot of good fiction is sentimental. ... The novelist who refuses sentiment refuses the full spectrum of human behavior, and then he just dries up. ... I would rather give full vent to all human loves and disappointments, and take a chance on being corny, than die a smartass.

The wilderness does not make you forget your normal life so much as it removes the distractions for proper remembering.

Fishing tournaments seem a little like playing tennis with living balls.

The reason to moderate is to avoid having to quit.