She saw him drenched with gasoline. She could actually feel the box of matches in her hand.

Impulsive actions led to trouble, and trouble could have unpleasant consequences.

I am a rapist and a sadistic pig,' if you get that tattoo removed I will carve it into your forehead, do you understand?

Always retain the ability to walk away, without sentimentality, from a situation that felt unmanageable. That was a basic rule of survival. Don't lift a finger for a lost cause.

Men who just call to say hello generally have ulterior motives.

Everyone has secrets. It's just a matter of finding out what they are

But if you want to win, you're going to have to fight.

There were not so many physical threats that could not be countered with a decent hammer.

No, I don't believe in God, but I respect the fact that you do. Everyone has to have something to believe in.

I know what kind of things I myself have been irritated by in detective stories. They are often about one or two persons, but they don't describe anything in the society outside.

I'm not going to apologize for the way I've led my life.

The thirty-plus years of marriage between the ceiling and the cement plaster showed signs of weakness by frequently developing cracks and holes.

I don't think you can reach your potential as a writer unless you're a passionate reader, AND read passionately.

Innocence is the ability to see things for what they are.

I learned to never say never and never say no, so I decided to go pro. I knew I'd have an opportunity to be a defensive player in the NFL.

People think me a sort of Florence Nightingale, but I have no heroic qualities. I simply don’t feel very much.

Time will tell us what we did and didn't do.

Her sanity was a fragile thing, a butterfly cupped in her hands, that she carried with her everywhere, afraid of what would happen if she let it go-or got careless and crushed it.

In case anybody asks you about my position on capital punishment, you can tell them I favor it; and if they want to know why, you can tell them this story.

First frost meant letting go, so it was always reason to celebrate.

Never blame anyone in your life. Good people give you happiness. Bad people give you experience. Worst people give you a lesson. And best people give you memories.