In revision, your imagination becomes deeply engaged with your material. It's when you come to know your characters and begin to perceive their motivations and values.

I grew up in a house without many books. The books the nuns made us read in school didn't interest me.

A pure love is a selfless love, but can desire ever be selfless?

The landscape of childhood shapes us as it shapes the characters in our stories. You never forget the sacred places of your childhood.

Drug programs began to turn their attention and money away from prevention and into maintenance. Methadone was cheaper than social workers, I suppose.

A lack of narrative structure, as you know, will cause anxiety.

You lose a wallet or keys or something and you notice in a second, but your life can go missing and you don't even know it.

Every act of loving affirms the goodness of the lover just because he is capable of loving and being loved.

Love is always a surprise and you never get it right.

The purpose of the first draft is not to get it right, but to get it written.

I was reading for understanding. I wanted to do to a reader what Salinger did for me.

Every time I go look for God amidst sorrow, I always find Jesus at the cross, in death and resurrection. This is our God.

If you fear to take risks, your life will always be risky.

It's called optimism — but I’m losing the hang of it fast.

Music is good, not evil. Poetry is good, not evil. Primitive, but oh, so true!

There is no doubt about it, Messi's clearly the best player in the world. He's a phenomenon who has already won everything, but is still hungry for more. His humbleness only makes him greater.

People don't eat nutrients, they eat foods, and foods can behave very differently than the nutrients they contain.

Hatred is blind, as well as love.

To be honest...here is a task for all that a man has of fortitude...

It looks like the financial giants of the world have bungled as much as the diplomats and politicians. This would be a great time in the world for some man to come along that knew something.

Thou call'st me dog before thou hadst a cause, But since I am a dog, beware my fangs.