A couple years ago, the novelist Russell Banks told me he was reading the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. I asked why. He said, 'Because I've always wanted to and am tired of having my reading assigned.' I thought it was a marvelous declaration of independence.

Worse, I have to admit to feeling the jealousy of one crab for another that has managed to climb out of the barrel.

By ignoring a lot of American culture you can write more interesting stories. Unfortunately, if you were writing about America as it is, you'd be writing about a lot of people sitting in front of television sets.

To expect reason is where the fallacy lies.

Odd that the future should be so difficult to bring into focus when the past, uninvited, offered itself up so easily for inspection.

I'll tell you one thing, though. It's a terrible thing to be a disappointment to a good woman.

People who imagine themselves to be self-made seldom enjoy examining the process of manufacture in detail.