Novelists have to be adept at controlling the flow of information, and, most crucially, they have to be in charge of the narrative.

...falling in love could be achieved in a single word—a glance.

come back, come back to me

Imagining what it is like to be someone other than yourself is at the core of our humanity. It is the essence of compassion, and it is the beginning of morality.

I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.

A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended.

True intelligence requires fabulous imagination.

When its gone, you'll know what a gift love was. you'll suffer like this. So go back and fight to keep it.

I believe the novella is the perfect form of prose fiction. It is the beautiful daughter of a rambling, bloated ill-shaven giant (but a giant who's a genius on his best days).

I'm holding back, delaying the information. I'm lingering in the prior moment because it was a time when other outcomes were still possible.

Observing human variety can give pleasure, but so too can human sameness.

Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.

You're elegance in a misunderstood form. Crystal quartz in a world of platinum. Oh, my dizzy boy, there's a fire in you that I use to warm my hands on chilly mornings.

You lie awake at 3 in the morning thinking of story ideas. You're online at 8 a.m. on a Sunday or midnight on a Wednesday. It's a job that you never push aside.

I have no plans, and no plans to plan.

Puttering is really a time to be alone, to dream, to get in touch with yourself...To putter is to discover.

Stay in school. Lie to your teachers, but stay in school.

Approach each task in your life, no matter how simple or how complex, with power.

True disciples are those who go beyond simply believing. They act out their belief.

What's great about being a character actor is you know that you can survive forever. It's not about the gloss of your eyebrows.

I want to become a person that shines when dancing.