That is simply the most beautiful publishing office in the world, with that cranky old building in that wonderful park.

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.

The danger of civilization, of course, is that you will piss away your life on nonsense.

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.

We are all naturally xenophobic.

After a lifetime of world travel I've been fascinated that those in the third world don't have the same perception of reality that we do.

I don't know what psychotherapy does. I have been seeing the same person for 26 years now.