I see old age not as something to hide from or dread (though there is much to oppose in the usual treatment of the old) but rather as something to embrace as the natural and inevitable end.

Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.

Sexism goes so deep that at first it's hard to see; you think it's just reality.

Fiction is ideally suited to re-creating the important emotional aspects of history.

There is still nothing like equality for women in jobs, in family. There's just an awareness that inequality is not acceptable.

My mirror image always had to be interpreted. And for that I sought my reflection in someone else's eyes.

Being alone for a woman is probably much more scary than for a man. I'm all for getting over our fears by facing them head-on.

Everything is connected. There is no such thing as an island, especially in our world, global village, the whole thing. Pollution from way across the ocean circulates in the air.

Many people spend the ends of their lives alone, and probably a lot of years in the middle of their lives, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience the rewards of solitude.

Usually, ordinary histories don't get the emotional feel of a period. That's what a novel can do.

In my books, my idea is always to explore social context and social forces.

Though the mills of God grind slowly yet they grind exceeding small Though with patience He stands waiting with exactness grinds he all.

To persevere trusting in what hopes he has is courage in a man. The coward despairs.

First thing I do in the morning, after I have my breakfast and do my spiritual work, is put on my makeup and fix my hair, and I can do my makeup in 15 minutes.

Evolution acts slowly. Our psychological characteristics today are those that promoted reproductive success in the ancestral environment.

My daughter's dabbling in showbiz, and she's done a few commercials. She's auditioned for some movies and shows, so I'm letting her pursue that. I'm OK with it.

Paradoxically, the most constructive thing women can do is to write, for in the act of writing we deny our muteness and begin to eliminate some of the difficulties that have been put upon us.

After the war, in which I served as a pilot in the Air Force, I took up films.

Unfortunately, I've gotten so conditioned, it's hard to sleep past 4 a.m.

The blurring of fantasy and reality is something that the Japanese herald in their life, in their day-to-day commercialism.

Prayer: the key of the day and the lock of the night.