I never intended to be a journalist. Frankly, I don't think I ever was a journalist. I backed into it.

Why are we inspired by another person's courage? Maybe because it gives us the sweet and genuine surprise of discovering some trace, at least, of the same courage in ourselves.

I've never written a hard journalism piece in my life. I've never wanted to do that.

When it became clear that Lennon was not going to speak with me, it really became a how-I-didn't-get-the-story story. It was a caper.

All of us ambitious young writers hoped to have a cover story in Esquire, of course. The idea was to write the best, most entertaining article that you can.

To write an article about someone and then to have that person murdered is disturbing.

Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they're really not. They're companions - the hero and the sidekick.