Not every novel that wants to be a tragedy gets to be one.

Oh, that sound? I'm in the hot tub, reading a novel.

Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.

Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.

I suspected that there were things he knew that I had been waiting all my life to learn.

In many ways, being honest about 'Huckleberry Finn' goes right to the heart of whether we can be honest about our heritage and our identity as Americans.

Even if my marriage is falling apart and my children are unhappy, there is still a part of me that says, 'God, this is fascinating!'

Take naps. Often new ideas come together when you are half asleep, but you have to train yourself to remember them.

Candy is my fuel. Ice cream, too.

But what truly horsey girls discover in the end is that boyfriends, husbands, children, and careers are the substitute-for horses

In every society, the artists will be the ones who set themselves up as contrary to whatever the society expects.

If believing were simple, then this world wouldn’t be in the mess that it is today.

I didn't want to pick at Micah and me until we unraveled. I wanted to leave it alone and enjoy it. I just didn't know how to do that.

A friend is somebody who says the same things to your face that they would say if you're not in the room.

I spent most of my seventh grade summer dehydrated, green-tongued, and smelling like a Malaysian whorehouse.

I haven't have fun for a long time," Kaia said with a pout. "Me, either. Except with myself, but I don't suppose that counts." "It does the way I do it.

In terms of justice, the most important thing is not to be part of organized crime.

All policies should be guided by science, not just whose voice is the loudest.

People should be judged on the basis of their performance, not nationality, personality, education, or personal traits and skills.

I ain't ever had a job, I just always played baseball.

As soon as you have a problem, it's insoluble. These things should never have been allowed to happen.