Characters begin as voices, then gain presence by being viewed in others' eyes. Characters define one another in dramatic contexts. It is often very exciting, when characters meet - out of their encounters, unanticipated stories can spring.

Life and people are complex. A writer as an artist doesn't have the personality of a politician. We don't see the world that simply.

Loneliness is like starvation: you don't realize how hungry you are until you begin to eat.

Sometimes I read reviews, and without exception I will read critical essays that are sent to me. The critical essays are interesting on their own terms.

It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we really are.

For some reason, voters can be brainwashed, and they vote sometimes against their own best interests, let alone voting against the interests of people who need them, like people who are disenfranchised and people who are poor and so forth.

Like all virtuous people he imagines he must speak the truth.