When I heard, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, I thought, Did he fall or was he pushed?

Generosity is a virtue for individuals, not governments. When governments are generous it is with other people’s money, other people’s safety, other people’s future.

Don't just plan to write - write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.

History, which interprets the past to understand the present and confront the future is the least rewarding discipline for a dying species.

Time didn't heal, but it anesthetized. The human mind could only feel so much.

you'd like the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That must be the most futile oath anyone ever swears.

I still occasionally need to struggle but I now fear it less. The weapons I fight it with are also my consolations: books, music, food, wine, nature.