Catch me on a good day, I think half of my books aren't too bad. Catch me on a bad day, I think I've never written a good line.

There's something ugly about the flawless.

Narrative becomes the way you make sense of chaos. That's how you focus the world. It's the only reason you should ever try this writing job.

In Greek tragedy, they fall from great heights. In noir, they fall from the curb.

Happiness comes in moments, & then it's gone until the next time. Could be years. But sadness settles it.

It's hard to close the door on optimistic expectations when you love someone.

There are so many more important things to worry about than how you're perceived by strangers.

The foundation of your life is luck. Hard work and talent make up the difference.

There are threads in our lives. You pull one, and everything else gets affected.

Chuck said, “Hey. How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?” Cawley looked over at him. “I’ll bite. How many?” “Fish,” Chuck said and let loose a bright bark of a laugh.

What molds us is what maims us.

God can make good use of all that happens, but the loss is real.

But worries are for people who can’t pull grown men apart with their bare hands.

Death and madness are his only mistresses.

Fact and fiction carry the same intrinsic weight in the marketplace of ideas. Unfortunately reality has no advertising budget.

I always look to my mom for strength and courage when I need it.

Our energies are often stimulated by the necessity of supporting a being weaker than ourselves.

We do an epically bad job of acknowledging one another's work and checking our sources.

Reminiscing, with obvious emotion, on his long career: It's like the size of the crowd here today. It always surprises me. But I do appreciate it.

The poet is in command of his fantasy, while it is exactly the mark of the neurotic that he is possessed by his fantasy.

Right is the eternal sun; the world cannot delay its coming.