You become a different writer when you approach a short story. When things are not always having to represent other things, you find real human beings begin to cautiously appear on your pages.

You can't state difference and also state equality. We have to state sameness to understand equality.

As far as I'm concerned, if you want to find out about the last day of WWII or the roots of the Indian Mutiny, get thee to a books catalogue.

The past is always tense, the future perfect.

Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.

Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.

Don’t romanticise your ‘vocation’. You can either write good sentences or you can’t. There is no ‘writer’s lifestyle’. All that matters is what you leave on the page.

Time is how you spend your love.

I am the sole author of the dictionary that defines me.

Don't confuse honours with achievement.

Pulchritude--beauty where you would least suspect it, hidden in a word that looked like it should signify a belch or a skin infection.

We're very good in America at talking about stuff, often stuff to buy. We tend to talk about our iPods. We tend to talk about cars or new fads.

It is not about never doubting, it is about coming out on the other side with twice the faith you had going into your doubt.

Live life to the fullest. Follow your dreams - don't let anything stop you.

There's a hunger and a fervor that I have, but there's no person I'm going to push to the side to get where I'm going. I want to create my own road.

Hate is the revenge of a coward intimidated.

If you make the same mistake 3 times, that becomes ‘your arrangement’

England have the best fans in the world and Scotlands fans are second to none

Platonic friendship-the interval between the introduction and the first kiss.

I love art more than anything in the world except for my family.

One problem when you get energy and want to go with it is that with so large a cast of talented people, you have to wait three or four shows for some 'meat.'