Big, undreamed-of things — the people on the edge see them first.

Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of the writer.

Every sentence must do one of two things-reveal character or advance the action.

We are here for no purpose, unless we can invent one.

We are America's Great Lakes people, her freshwater people, not an oceanic but a continental people. Whenever I swim in an ocean, I feel as though I am swimming in chicken soup.

Shortridge High School was an elitist high school. In a way it was a scandal because you could go there no matter where you lived, if you could get there. It was for over-achievers. It was for people who were going to college. So we were very special and we were hated for being ritzy.

We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.