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.

I think that The Outsiders was meant to be written, and I was just picked to write it.

Nothing sparkly can stay.

Asleep, he looked a lot younger than going-on-seventeen, but I had noticed that Johnny looked younger when he was asleep too, so I figured everyone did. Maybe people are younger when they are asleep.

They used to be buddies, I thought, they used to be friends, and now they hate each other because one has to work for a living and the other comes from the West Side. They shouldn't hate each other.

I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.

Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too.