It was what you did, Wolgast understood; you started to tell a story about who you were, and soon enough the lies were all you had and you became that person.

If you are writing any book about the end of the world, what you are really writing about is what's worth saving about it.

Behind every writer stands a very large bookshelf.

My inventing time is all done under the influence of aerobic exercise. Basically, I do all my thinking while I run.

I grew up during the Cold War, when everything seemed very tenuous. For many years, right up until the fall of the Berlin Wall, I had vivid nightmares of nuclear apocalypse.

We live, we die. Somewhere along the way, if we're lucky, we may find someone to help lighten the load.

This ravishing world. This achingly bittersweet, ravishing world.

I have any number of completely dark obsessions and fascinations, and none of this was present in my profile or my growing profile as a writer.

What strange places our lives can carry us to, what dark passages.

My theory of characterization is basically this: Put some dirt on a hero, and put some sunshine on the villain, one brush stroke of beauty on the villain.

My rule has always been, write the next part of the book that you seem to know well. So I won't necessarily write chapter two after chapter one.

Many women arrange their lives around the people they love. Unfortunately, that arrangement takes up most of our days.

The reason why many ministers go astray is that they underestimate what they were called to do

Religion means to know God and to love Him.

I don't want people to chop off the citizens' or anybody's heads in the Middle East, OK? Because they're Christian or Muslim or anything else.

Don't lose yourself just because you found somebody.

I want to be successful, not famous.

Dancing came easy to me.

I've taken my knickers off. My friends told me my panty line was visible, so I went without.

Only the tiniest fracton of mankind want freedom. All the rest want someone to tell them theyare free.

I think it's that everyday training that is what's really important.