One of life's minor satisfactions is forgetting.

I was trying not to be happy, hopeful. I did not believe I deserved happiness or even hope, if you knew my soul.

Food doesn't exist, but can only be invented. And reinvented.

People have libraries at home, they have bookshelves, they have CDs. And they sort of try, people try to bring great artists into their lives, into their physical houses and sort of live with portions of them. But they're not really deeply engaging with them.

The American dream is a multi-metaphor made up of distinct regions. Many regions of this country are almost like different countries. Even in one state, northern and southern California are like two separate countries.

I did not consider that I would lead a literary life. I'd thought initially, as a young girl, that I would be a teacher, since I so admired many of my teachers. And though I loved writing, I did not ever think of myself as a writer.

These are the moments for which we live.