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

Rituals are comforting; rituals combat loneliness.

There's a lot of ignorance about how long it takes to write a novel. There's a lot of ignorance about how long a novel is in your head before you start to write it.

Gender mattered a whole lot less to Shakespeare than it seems to matter to us.

He was one of those people things came easily to, but he did little to demonstrate that he deserved to be gifted.

Newspapers are even worse for me than ice cream; headlines, and the big issues that generate the headlines, are pure fat.

Because who can describe that look that triggers the memory of loved ones? Who can anticipate the frown, the smile, or the misplaced lock of hair that sends a swift, undeniable signal from the past? Who can ever estimate the power of association, which is always strongest in moments of love and in memories of death?