Read at the level at which you want to write. Reading is the nourishment that feeds the kind of writing you want to do.

I was a stepchild in two different families. The hardest thing about being a stepchild is you know that in some way everything would be easier if you didnt exist.

If I had a view like this to look down on every day, I would have the energy and inspiration to conquer the world. The trouble is, when you most need such a view, no one gives it to you.

Goon Squad' took about three years to write and that's the short end. My second novel, 'Look at Me,' took six years.

I don’t want to fade away, I want to flame away - I want my death to be an attraction, a spectacle, a mystery. A work of art.

Because you can't write habitually and well all the time, you have to be willing to write badly. That's how you get the regularity that enables you to be present for the good stuff.

Reading is the nourishment that lets you do interesting work.

I'm always happy," Sasha said. "Sometimes I just forget.

The answers were maddeningly absent—it was like trying to remember a song that you knew made you feel a certain way, without a title, artist, or even a few bars to bring it back.

Vinegar: that's what fear smells like.

I think ethical ambivalence is a kind of innoculation, a way of excusing yourself in advance for something you actually want to do. No offense.

If you think someone or something other than yourself is responsible for your happiness or success, I'd guess you're not that happy or successful.

I just wish I’d asked you sooner. We could’ve had ages . . . months . . . years maybe. . . .

Wit, who never once Forgave a brother, shall forgive a dunce.

I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. That's my view, and that'll be the view of our state because I wouldn't sign a bill that - like the one that was in New York.

Why should we ever continue anything if the first parts are the best?

Consumer: A person who is capable of choosing a president but incapable of choosing a bicycle without help from a government agency.

The Israelites' slavery in Egypt is the equivalent of our slavery to sin. God sent Moses to deliver them from bondage, and He sent Jesus Christ to set us free.

You have haters from all walks of life. I could care less who wants me to fail. They inspire me.

It's funny, but you never really think much about breathing. Until it's all you ever think about.

There's room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you're trying to be like somebody else, then there is isn't.