It doesn't matter how good the enemy's weapons are. If he can't see you, he can't hit you. Cover, cover, cover. Make sure you're never exposed.

Impulsive actions led to trouble, and trouble could have unpleasant consequences.

I am a rapist and a sadistic pig,' if you get that tattoo removed I will carve it into your forehead, do you understand?

Always retain the ability to walk away, without sentimentality, from a situation that felt unmanageable. That was a basic rule of survival. Don't lift a finger for a lost cause.

Men who just call to say hello generally have ulterior motives.

Everyone has secrets. It's just a matter of finding out what they are

But if you want to win, you're going to have to fight.

There were not so many physical threats that could not be countered with a decent hammer.

No, I don't believe in God, but I respect the fact that you do. Everyone has to have something to believe in.

I know what kind of things I myself have been irritated by in detective stories. They are often about one or two persons, but they don't describe anything in the society outside.

I'm not going to apologize for the way I've led my life.

Nothing factual that I write or say will be as truthful as my fiction.

Writing is the geometry of the soul.

Coincidences

You might well remember that nothing can bring you success but yourself.

It doesn't take much to be good, but it takes a lot to be real good.

When something is a vocation, you don't really make a decision about it.

Fear brings failure; faith brings success. It's just that simple.

When I was young I felt really overwhelmed and confused by the desire not to end up in an office, doing something I didn't believe in.

I find that students are very strong on my issues, stronger than anyone: anti-death penalty, anti-racial profiling, campaign finance reform, questioning the anti-terrorism bill.

You'll have to leave my meals on a tray outside the door because I'll be working pretty late on the secret of making myself invisible, which may take me almost until eleven o'clock.