The problem is fundamental... It is as if a secret committee, now lost to history, has made a study of children and, having figured out what the greatest number were least disposed to declared that all of them should do it.

At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward the end of a book, I spend up to 16 hours a day on it, because all I want to do is make it good and get it done.

When I select a topic, it's usually a commitment of two to three years of my life

Things were here before you and will be here after you're gone. The geographic features, especially, give you a sense of your own place in the world and in time

...Attempts at imitation would put the emphasis where it didn't belong. The goal was to improve the lives of others, not oneself.

What interests me is trying to catch the reflection of the human being on the page. I'm interested in how ordinary people live their lives

If you live in the same small place long enough, something you don't like is bound to happen