Made me feel ashamed of belonging to these overpowering, technical superior countries fighting against what seemed to me quite defenseless people.

I come from rather an international, or in other words, a cosmopolitan background.

Tradition is what is in the heart and soul of your home, your country, and social environment. Tradition evolves, and it changes regardless of what you do to maintain it.

As soon as I finished the Russian course, I was sent to Korea with the task of trying to establish an agent network, a network in the so called maritime provinces.

In the pages of a book, we are in paradise.

Wish not for treasure you can hold, No gleaming jewels, bright and cold, For finer still than pearl or gold, The treasure of a tale well told...

I have a strong urge to lie down and pretend this is not happening—like the old couple in Titanic.

Fame was thrilling only until it became grueling. Money was fun only until you ran out of things to buy.

Estate taxes make every one of us nervous. If there’s an owner who isn’t, he has his head in the sand.

Speculation is a fool's game, but I've seen many political projections that look like the Taliban could hold most of the country, and possibly Kabul, within perhaps a short time.

One must stand stiller than still. On reverse time travel.

I'm a natural novelist. I'm interested in the person and the group, and how they mesh. And one of the ways I don't want them to mesh is for the person to be subsumed into the group.

Anna spoke not only naturally and intelligently, but intelligently and casually, without attaching any value to her own thoughts, yet giving great value to the thoughts of the one she was talking to.

If everybody loves you, something is wrong. Find at least one enemy to keep you alert.