There was a very serious communist strain among American intellectuals before the war. America was a more tolerant place in those days, and Communists were not treated as pariahs. That ended with the McCarthy era.

Having faith in God did not mean sitting back and doing nothing. It meant believing you would find success if you did your best honestly and energetically.

Without books I would not have become a vivacious reader, and if you are not a reader you are not a writer.

What news? There's nothing to tell. I'm a nun.

I am very fond of Edith Wharton. She's quite high brow but also a great storyteller. My favorite is 'The House of Mirth.' I also like 'The Reef.

It's great that in the German language I've sold almost 30 million books. Isn't that amazing?

The most expensive part of building is the mistakes.