Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.

I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.

All that peace, man, if felt so good it hurt. I want to hurt it back.

Storytelling is the essential human activity. The harder the situation, the more essential it is.

Everything was such a damned nice idea when it was an idea.

("I love you," someone says, and instantly we begin to wonder - "Well, how much?" - and when the answer comes - "With my whole heart" - we then wonder about the wholeness of a fickle heart.) Our lovers, our husbands, our wives, our fathers, our gods - they are all beyond us.

That's what fiction is for. It's for getting at the truth when the truth isn't sufficient for the truth.