I very much enjoy reading other writers' diaries, mainly because it makes me ask myself: Are they like you? How do they think?

Without patience and the skill of a craftsman, even the greatest talent is wasted.

I was at the end of my tether when my first book was published. For eight years I didn't make a penny, I worked so hard, didn't drink, didn't enjoy life.

The thing that binds us together is that we have both lowered our expectations of life

Turkey, with its political intolerance, as I have described it, is prepared to march forward, to break with its taboo about the Armenians, and is making great strides with respect to human rights and freedom of speech so that it can join the European Union. This alone shows how powerful the European idea is.

...a nation could change its way of life, its history, its technology, its art, literature, and culture, but it would never have a real chance to change its gestures.

Nationalism stems from catastrophes, whether they are caused by earthquakes or lost wars.