Novelists of a conservative or more purely aesthetic bent hold up better on the surface, but their novels go in and out of fashion according to relevance or irrelevance.

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.

Chances are no matter how bad your troubles seem to be, someone somewhere, with less resilience, has successfully conquered a more severe version of your problems.

I'm sure they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often, " he says. "They suit you.

Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.

The sweetness of this life is found in remembering Allah; the sweetness of the next life will be found in seeing Him.

Losers bring money into the market which is necessary for the prosperity of the trading industry.

I was only photographing in words the reality of it all.

There is an admiration which is the daughter of knowledge.

A true champion knows how to overcome doubts and manage those doubts and turn them into motivation.

I do not believe it is right to identify Islam with violence. This is not right or true.

Courage isn't the absence of fear; it's the dealing with it.