The things a man sees when he ain't got a gun.--Watson the Caretaker

Battles that last five minutes spawn legends that live a thousand years.

I never have a thematic intention at the outset.

The devil's voice is sweet to hear.

The shining. It was a good name, a comforting name, because she had always thought of it as a dark thing.

All I can say is what you already know: some days are treasure. Not many, but I think in almost every life there are a few. That was one of mine, and when I'm blue -- when life comes down on me and everything looks tawdry and cheap, the way Joyland Avenue did on a rainy day -- I go back to it, if only to remind myself that life isn't always a butcher's game. Sometimes the prizes are real. Sometimes they are precious.

Stories are artifacts, not really made things which we create and can take credit for, but pre-existing objects which we dig up.