I love James Baldwin essays, but also his novels. I recently read "Another Country." I couldn't believe how ahead of his time he was.

Immigration, a lexicon. You're a 'migrant' when you're very poor; 'immigrant' when you're not so poor; and 'expat' when you're rich.

Historical novels, in particular, allow us to relive the past without the neatness of history, and with all the complexity of the present.

In some ways, I think it's the closest that we come to the truth — is in the form of fiction.

The universe had an odd sense of fairness; it took away things one did not want to give up, and then gave things one did not ask for.

A name is precious; it carries inside it a language, a history, a set of traditions, a particular way of looking at the world. Losing it meant losing my ties to all those things too.

Thing that was very different for me is that an American child's reading is filled with Americans.

No one wrote better about the sin of pride, the corruption of power and the redemption of love. I will miss you, Gabriel García Márquez.

There are writers I return to no matter what I'm working on, writers like the South African J.M. Coetzee. He has an ability to make you feel that he is writing for you alone.

I began reading in French. I didn't read in English until high school.

There is a insularity within American fiction even for adults. It's very tough for books in translation in the US.

I am afeard there are few die well that die in battle, for how can they charitably dispose of anything when blood is their argument?

You Are At Different Levels With Different People.

In architecture the pride of man his triumph over gravitation his will to power assume a visible form. Architecture is a sort of oratory of power by means of forms.

The British are very stubborn. The Queen, the Commonwealth, and the special relationship with the U.S. is much more important than Europe.

A whole week, a single campaign, a month, a week, even a day was far more than enough to cut a company or platoon to ribbons or cripple a man for life: it needed only a quarter of an hour.

It is today that we create the world of the future.

The purpose of education is to make the choices clear to people, not to make the choices for people.

Just because you work in the fashion industry, it doesn't mean you live your life in fashion.

And the passiveness, you know, the apathy, well, that's not responsible citizenship. When I'm asked, why am I an activist, I say, well that's the rent that I pay for living on this planet, okay?

Of higher value than any one leader is the cause.