I know a lot of people who read and think: "George [Saunders] is so much fun." There's no denying you're fun to read, but as a writer I think of [George Saunders] as, in fact, not a fun and freewheeling type but really an obsessive control artist.

Today, writing seems to me like an incredible luxury, almost a perversity, something which hardly exists in the world anymore, where you get to see the fruits of your actions in a daily way.

I don't actually believe in the extension of consciousness after death.

The world is now multicultural the same way the world is round. It's not a selling point, it's not a 'quirky' feature, it's not a cynical marketing ploy, it's not an artistic statement, it's not even a plot device. It's a fact, like seedless grapes.

The ideal reader cannot sleep when holding the writer he was meant to be with.

People profess to have certain political positions, but their conservatism or liberalism is really the least interesting thing about them.

It made me feel that I had to work very hard, but I've always felt I had to work very hard to get my own approval.