Every situation is of man's making and can only contain what man contains.

The novel's spirit is the spirit of complexity. . . . The novel's spirit is the spirity of continuity . . . a thing made to last, to connect the past with the future.

The termites of reduction have always gnawed away at life: even the greatest love ends up as a skeleton of feeble memories.

The novel is born not of the theoretical spirit but of the spirit of humor.

The diet book is one of those fool-and-money separation devices that seems, like roulette or slot machines, never to lose its power.

The writing process is very much like being in a dark tunnel, and you don't really know what you will end up with until you have created it.

The best thing about being 45 is not taking myself so seriously.

I feel like my mum is in heaven sharing a cup of tea with Lady Fate and plotting my life out like a chess game.

I’m always focussed on the actual work, and I think that’s a much more succinct way to describe what you care about than any speech I could ever make.

I want to be that person who could sacrifice everything for others.

I think we are responsible for the universe, but that doesn't mean we decide anything.

Not to say "trophies" aren't wonderful, but they should not be your driving force.

Knowing what to do is very, very different than actually doing it.

In the United States, politics is a profession, whereas in Europe it is a right and a duty .