At the very least we want a witness. We can't stand the idea of our own voices falling silent finally, like a radio running down.

Optimism means better than reality; pessimism means worse than reality. I'm a realist.

If I were going to convert to any religion I would probably choose Catholicism because it at least has female saints and the Virgin Mary.

a handful of crumpled stars

My family was big on sharing. I guess it was just the way I was brought up. Or maybe, I read those fairy tales in which one good turn elicits another. But in writing, yes, some older writers were kind to me when I was young; although some others were not.

The society in 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a throwback to the early Puritans whom I studied extensively at Harvard under Perry Miller, to whom the book is dedicated.

I am nervous about dogmas of any kind, whether they be religious, political, or anti-religious. Too many heads have rolled because of them.