There is grand romance in The Lord of the Rings. It's an important part of epic literature.

I've had the same, full-time assistant and typist for eight or nine years now. She's read everything I've written, she types everything and does a good job, translates it and makes comments.

I always turn in my books on time, so you can always count on a book coming out when it's supposed to.

I had a minor in Russian history, and this was at the time when the big Cold War was going on.

A moment of consideration often prevents a thousand apologies

We must think beyond ourselves

In a certain sense, this guy - who is one of the most evil people in the book - he's not really that bad at running the show, because he knows what he's doing, he's smart and he's got the big picture in mind. He's like the Godfather.