With every book, you go back to school. You become a student. You become an investigative reporter. You spend a little time learning what it's like to live in someone else's shoes.

The gardener had a dread of small women; he'd always imagined them to have an anger disproportionate to their size.

There are few things as seemingly untouched by the real world as a child asleep.

And never forget, there is memory.

I don't want you to describe to me—not ever—what you were doing to that poor boy to make him sound like that; but if you ever do it again, please cover his mouth with your hand.

We invent what we love and what we fear.

Life forces enough final decisions on us. We should have the sense to avoid as many of the unnecessary ones as we can.