I really, really wanted to write. I loved language. I loved literature. I loved reading. I never read a foreign language, I'm afraid, but I loved Flaubert. I loved the 19th-century classics. I love Thomas Hardy. I wanted to be a goof on a bus, but I wanted to write more.

If you couldn't tell the difference between what hurt and what didn't, you had no business being alive. You can't have any good times if you can't tell.

You don't want to depend on an editor. If you want to regret something for the rest of your life, you want to make sure you're responsible for it.

If you haven't fought for your life for something you want, you don't know what's life all about.

I start early in the morning. I'm usually out in the woods with the dog as soon as it gets light; then I drink a whole lot of tea and start as early as I can, and I go as long as I can.

When rewriting, move quickly. It's a little like cutting your own hair.

It’s hard to stay away from religion when you mess with acid.