In winter the very ground seemed to reach up and grab the elderly, yanking them to earth as though hungry for them.

Her voice was slightly accented but her French was perfect. Someone who'd not just learned the language but loved it. And it showed with every syllable. Gamache knew it was impossible to split language from culture. That without one the other withered. To love the language was to respect the culture.

Don't mistake dramatics for a conscience.

The four sayings that lead to wisdom: I was wrong I'm sorry I don't know I need help

I turned down all the requests for the rights to the books, for years, mostly because they wanted the rights to the characters, and to turn it into a TV series. This would have allowed them to do anything they wanted with the characters, and that just wasn't an option for me.

Winning doesn't mean my book is better than anyone else's. It means I'm very fortunate. And I should be very, very aware of that. And grateful.

It's a shame that creativity and sloth look exactly the same.