Of all the weapons in the world, love is the most dangerous.

Father may have been wanting in some things, but here he was masterful. Night upon night, I marveled at his power to hold listeners in rapt attention. He could tell a story with such detail, such flourish, that afterwards a man could swear it had been his own memory, and not a tale at all.

If a novelist has created vivid characters, interesting relationships, settings the reader can easily imagine, and intriguing stories, a screenwriter has loads to work with. The challenge comes with deciding what to cut and what to keep.

I think any period in history can be adapted into interesting fiction, as long as you approach the actual history with respect.

Contrary to his infallibly "honest" image, Abe wasn't above lying so long as it served a noble purpose.

Elizabeth sheathed her sword, knelt behind him, and strangled him to death with his own large bowel.

Living men are bound by time... Thus, their lives have an urgency. This gives them ambition. Makes them choose those things that are most important, cling more tightly to that which they hold dear. Their lives have seasons, and rites of passage, and consequences. And ultimately, an end. But what of a life with no urgency? What then of ambition? What then of love?