One sad thing about this world is that the acts that take the most out of you are usually the ones that people will never know about. (from 'Celestial Navigation')

Ever consider what pets must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul - chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!

I read so I can live more than one life in more than one place.

But what I hope for from a book - either one that I write or one that I read - is transparency. I want the story to shine through. I don't want to think of the writer.

It seems to me that since I've had children, I've grown richer and deeper. They may have slowed down my writing for a while, but when I did write, I had more of a self to speak from.

It is not how much you love someone, but who you are when you are with him.

The Amateur Marriage grew out of the reflection that of all the opportunities to show differences in character, surely an unhappy marriage must be the richest.

It is very difficult to live among people you love and hold back from offering them advice.

Once upon a time, there was a woman who discovered she had turned into the wrong person.

People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have.

The hardest novel to write was Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.

We already had three steps behind us."Hold on, Lia, " I whispered. Hold on for me.

It is true, I worry about the hype. The only person more over-hyped than me is you.

I love seeing people come out of darkness.

Many business intuitions and expertise are going to be valuable; they are telling you something useful, and you want to take advantage of them.

What is your religion? I mean-not what you know about religion but the belief that helps you most?

The first thing that has to happen is the protection of voting rights and registration.

I have to say that I have been blessed with significant teachers at every stage of my life.

One time Robert Plant was set to check into the same room after I checked out, so I removed every light bulb and ordered up a bunch of stinky cheese and put it under the mattress.

I hate junk food. It depresses me.

Just as there are O.K.-words in conversationship so there are O.K.-people to mention in Newstatesmanship.