Whenever I go to work I wear a jacket and a tie, because I'm inherently quite lazy, and my books take so long to do, and my publishers don't bug me, so it's so easy to fool yourself into thinking you're working harder than you really are.

You have to be an extremely good reader to appreciate what a good writer is. There are some people who are completely insensitive to good writing.

The ballet embodies the notes of music. And sometimes you almost feel like you can see the notes dance up there on the stage.

Nobody believes this, but I write very fast.

There's a feeling about it. You feel almost like a cabinetmaker, laying planks. There's a real feeling when you know you're getting it right. It's a physical feeling.

I deliberately made an effort not to become an expert on the ballet.

Robert Moses wasn't elected to anything. We're taught that in a democracy power comes from being elected. He had more power than anyone, and he held it for 48 years