... nothing broke my heart like the slow death of a shared joke that had once seemed genuinely funny.

Perhaps this is how you know you're doing the thing you're intended to: No matter how slow or how slight your progress, you never feel that it's a waste of time.

Probably I, like a lot of people, became a writer in imitation of or in homage to the books I enjoyed. When you're so captivated by something, you think, could I do that? Hmm, let me try

We all make mistakes, don't we? But if you can't forgive yourself, you'll always be an exile in your own life.

People who think my books are autobiographical, which they're not, credit me with having a much better memory than I do. I do, however, have a powerful imagination

I don't really have special rituals, but I don't try to write fiction unless I have a minimum of a few hours. For me, it takes a while to settle into a mode where I'm truly concentrating

We have to make mistakes, its how we learn compassion for others

I always worried someone would notice me, and then when no one did, I felt lonely.

Obviously the bar is much higher now for a behavior to be scandalous. Social media has really changed the way people live. It's not a new impulse; it's just being enacted in a new way.

I don't think it's shameful to admit that some days your time can be better spent reading than writing.

I have this theory that the likeability question comes up so much more with female characters created by female authors than it does with male characters and male authors

God has no business with irresponsible people.

…little people like me have to keep the true story alive. That way, when the revolution ends, and people come looking for the history, we can say, ‘Here it is – we kept it for you.

I understand you" is the soul behind "I Love You". If this is missing, "I Love You" is empty.

It's absurd we remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all people and paid family and medical leave.

Many of us economists who believe in efficiency do so because we view markets as amazingly successful devices for reflecting new information rapidly and, for the most part, accurately.

If you have to invoke a distant past to justify a present grievance, the case for the grievance is already undermined.

History repeats itself.

For Indians, images are a means of celebrating mystery and not a manner of explaining it

I'm pretty opinionated sometimes although my political views change all the time, too. So I'm not very zealous.

Zen Hugs - the hugs that you would get, if we were there, if we could hug you, but we aren't, and we can't.