It's true that the human body is more vulnerable than the products of the human mind. We need to protect artists and journalists people to allow them to work.

In the end, the thing that's important about free expression is that it's the right from which all other rights are derived. If you can't articulate ideas and if you can't articulate critiques of other peoples' ideas, then you're powerless. What always increases the power of an authoritarian regime is whether it can successfully prevent people from expressing themselves.

We cannot allow religious hooligans to place limiting points on thought.

I've always prided myself on my discipline as a writer. I do it like a job. I get up in the morning and go to my desk.

I have had many more close women friends than men, and I've always assumed that comes from the fact that in my family there was such a disproportionate female element.

You don't that often see writers being sought out when there are matters of great moment to discuss. And I think that's a loss.

Like everybody else, I've had relationships in which I was passionately in love but was completely miserable all the time and didn't trust the person I was in love with one inch.