I work at the sentences. Many of the things people find distinctive about my writing, I think of as natural.

People do not change, they are merely revealed.

Only bad writers think that their work is really good.

Write whatever way you like. Fiction is made of words on a page; reality is made of something else. It doesn't matter how "real" your story is, or how "made up": what matters is its necessity.

God, I hate my family, these people I never chose to love, but love all the same.

We do not always like the people we love- we do not always have that choice.

I have no place left to live but in my own heart.

The way to write a book is to actually write a book. A pen is useful, typing is also good. Keep putting words on the page.

I’m really lucky with the people around me. They know me, so they don’t confuse the issues really. They know what a book is and they know who I am and they know the difference between the two.

There are men who would do anything, asleep, and I'm not sure what stops them when they wake. I do not know how they draw the line.

Description is hard. Remember that all description is an opinion about the world. Find a place to stand.

Are you planning to get married?' She finally asked. 'Like to someone in particular?' He shrugged. 'Aren't most marriages to someone in particular?

A word of encouragement goes a long way.

Sometimes the only way to deal with horrific things in life is through a dark sense of humor.

I can train any dog in 5 minutes. It's training the owner that takes longer.

Love and nonattachment are the basis of true generosity.

Words are what make the song. I get a personal vision about what the lyrics are about.

I don't like to lose, and that isn't so much because it is just a football game, but because defeat means the failure to reach your objective.

Every composer understands and uses the system of notation differently, and that's what makes you appreciate the trouble they go through in doing so.

Don’t confuse progress with winning.

Once you're a Motown artist, you're always a Motown artist