You cannot friend a hawk, they said, unless you are a hawk yourself, alone and only a sojourner in the land, without friends or the need of them.

I'm still in love with what I do, with the idea of making things up, so hours when I write always feel like very blessed hours to me.

How does it happen that a writer who's not even very good - and I can say that, I've read four or five of his books - gets to be in charge of the world's destiny? Or of the entire universe's?" If he's not very good, why didn't you stop at one?" Mrs. Tassenbaum smiled. "Touché. He is readable, I'll give him that - tells a good story.

Don't let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.

My view is that organized religion is a very dangerous tool that's been misused by a lot of people.

The soil of a man’s heart is stonier; a man grows what he can and tends it.

And didn't they say that, although curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought the beast back?