I never stay with people and I never look people up when I travel. I depend more on just chance meetings. The advantage is that people don't know who I am. I meet people casually and they're not doing me a big favor because I'm going to write something.

Writing is pretty crummy on the nerves.

I'm a tourist, a glorified tourist. I'm not doing it to have a good time or to lie in the sun.

The people of Hong Kong are criticized for only being interested in business, but it's the only thing they've been allowed to do.

Sightseeing was ... based on imaginative invention, like rehearsing your own play in stage sets from which all the actors had fled.

I don't want to be the honored guest. I want to be the invisible person.

I cannot make my days longer so I strive to make them better.