Hope was a dangerous emotion that more often than not led men into foolishness and peril, made them risk their lives and lose their wives and part with fortunes that they never recovered.

Real life ... it was an ambiguous world, where actions sometimes had no meaning, where chaos reigned and no one was allowed to see the big picture, only their small portion of it.

Life is short. Eternity is long.

There were shadows galore in the dim light, but there was one shadow that did not correspond to any object in the room. It lurked next to the fireplace, a formless, undulating darkness.

Murder is an inherently evil act, no matter what the circumstances, no matter how convincing the rationalizations.

Names have power. In certain cultures, just speaking a man's name gives you mastery over him.

I always thought the appeal for vampires are the same as religion, the desire to avoid death and live forever.

Horror writers can write about everything in the real world that a mainstream novelist can--plus the supernatural, which is the most fertile field for metaphor imaginable.

In real life, good people die all the time and a**holes can live long and happy lives. It's a crapshoot.

Real life was messier than fiction, and in it you didn't always have time to do or say the right things.

I think the internet is a great marketing tool--but marketing is not my job. I'm a writer. My job is to write novels.

I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.

Most men overestimate themselves. It’s the only way they can reproduce. It’s why we’re all here, us humans. Overestimation.

As a general rule, a reputation is built on manner as much as on achievement.

Delicious days ahead for solitude and writing and, oh yes, the holiday meal with family. Live with my characters until term starts in 2012!

The construction of the universe is certainly very much easier to explain than is that of the plant.

The love of power excludes all others.

Louisiana is a place that you escape, not a place that you leave.

The reason I say I'm a horrible person is I don't want myself to be presented as somebody who's a great Catholic.

A lot of the Beatles albums were very various, and we did it on purpose: We didn't want the next track to sound like the last one.