I think I'm brave because I've made decisions based - I hope not entirely selfishly - on what I think is right for me to do next.

I don't have ugly ducklings turning into swans in my stories. I have ugly ducklings turning into confident ducks.

I try to make my characters kind of ordinary, somebody that anybody could be. Because we've all had loves, perhaps love and loss, people can relate to my characters.

Nobody is ordinary if you know where to look.

I'm an escapist kind of writer.

Women who start out as ugly ducklings don't become beautiful swans. What they mainly become is confident ducks. They take charge of their lives.

The whole art of life is knowing the right time to say things.

Always write as if you are talking to someone. It works. Don't put on any fancy phrases or accents or things you wouldn't say in real life.

If you don't go to a dance you can never be rejected but you'll never get to dance either.

Because I saw my parents relaxing in armchairs and reading and liking it, I thought it was a peaceful grown-up thing to do, and I still think that.

We are all the heroes and heroines of our own lives. Our love stories are amazingly romantic; our losses and betrayals and disappointments are gigantic in our own minds.

Ah, I do so love this charmingly rustic, elvin kingdom!-Baozhai

There’s been time this whole time. You can’t kill time with your heart. Everything takes time.

For Art alone is great:The bust survives the state, The crown the potentate.

What I always say is that Japanese are like willow. We can be bent easily, but once you try to break us, it would not be so easy.

Alien is one of my favourite films. I'm a classic horror fan. It's a tough one for me, because I get scared quite easily.

I love Audrey Hepburn. I thought she was very classy.

King Fahd was a man of wisdom and a leader who commanded respect throughout the entire world. He was a friend and strong ally of the United States for decades.

We need to do a better job of working, again, with the communities, faith communities, business communities, as well as the police to try to deal with this problem.

Because I don't give the studios advanced quotes or an advanced look at my reviews. I think the readers deserve to read my reviews before the studios do.

If you have no earthly consolation, why do you not seek consolation in the Heart of Jesus? To love him is truest joy.