When people say that German or any other language is romantic... all they really mean is that they've enjoyed a past in the language

We are formed by what we desire

You can learn a lot from your lovers, but-for the most part-you get to keep your friends longer, and you learn more from them.

Never confuse faith, or belief — of any kind — with something even remotely intellectual.

It happens to many teenagers-that moment when you feel full of resentment or distrust for those adults you once loved unquestioningly.

A personal injustice is stronger motivation than any instinct for philanthropy.

You don't want to be ungenerous toward people who give you prizes, but it is never the social or political message that interests me in a novel. I begin with an interest in a relationship, a situation, a character.