I gotta cut smoking or I'll never make track next year

I never base a character on someone I know. You can get ideas from real life, but every character you write is some aspect of yourself.

Nothing sparkly can stay.

...I knew he would be dead, because Dally Winston wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted.

Johnny almost grinned as he nodded. "Tuff enough," he managed, and by the way his eyes were glowing, I figured Southern gentlemen had nothing on Johnny Cade.

You know the rules. No jazz before a rumble.

I learned that if you want to get somewhere, you just make up your mind and work like hell til you get there.