Christian ethics demand that you should not take revenge. The paradox is, naturally, that Christians worship a God who is the greatest avenger of them all. Defy him and you burn in eternal hell, an act of revenge which is completely out of proportion to the crime

There’s only one thing worse than not satisfying a desire. And that is not to feel any desire.

Just imagine walking away from something you've started. Something you really believed would be good. I don't think I could ever do that.

Everyone has a need to do penance. It's a basic need, like washing. It's about harmony, an absolutely essential inner balance. It's the balance we call morality.

To have the chance of being loved we have to take a chance on being destroyed inside

For me, the best places to write are on planes, trains and at airports. Not hotel rooms but hotel lobbies. I'm really happy when I'm waiting for a plane and the message comes that it's three hours late. Great, I'll get to write!

When I finish a book, I'm so exhausted that I'm sort of letting myself think that this could be the end.