I wanted to cry but I didn't, I probably should have cried, I should have drowned us there in the room ending our suffering.

Was his death an essential stage in the continuation of his life?

I felt suddenly shy. I was not used to shy. I was used to shame. Shyness is when you turn your head away from something you want. Shame is when you turn your head away from something you do not want.

Art can be very political but that can't be the purpose of art, it can't be the driving force. It isn't with any of the books that I love, anyway.

People shouldn't be allowed to get married until it's too late to have kids.

...people with nothing to declare carry the most.

There's nothing good about being certain about things. And I don't think there's any real talent in using language in a manipulative way, with phrases like "tax relief" or "Social Security reform." It's politically clever, but it's also completely disingenuous, and it's not something to aspire to.