He moves smoothly and slowly, carrying his concentration like a brimming cup.

The worm that destroys you is the temptation to agree with your critics, to get their approval.

There is a common emotion we all recognize and have not yet named -- the happy anticipation of being able to feel contempt.

You cant reduce me to a set of influences.

I think it's easy to mistake understanding for empathy - we want empathy so badly. Maybe learning to make that distinction is part of growing up. It's hard and ugly to know somebody can understand you without even liking you.

You must understand that when you are writing a novel you are not making anything up. It's all there and you just have to find it.

It's hard... to shake off something that's already under your skin.