The more acute the experience, the less articulate its expression.

One is and is not in the centre of the maelstrom of it all.

There are some things one remembers even though they may never have happened.

All that happens is that the destruction of human beings - unless they're Americans - is called collateral damage.

The past is what you remember, imagine you remember, convince yourself you remember, or pretend you remember.

Language in art remains a highly ambiguous transaction, a quicksand, a trampoline, a frozen pool which might give way under you ... at any time.

Good writing excites me, and makes life worth living.

I don't think there's been any writer like Samuel Beckett. He's unique. He was a most charming man and I used to send him my plays.

I never think of myself as wise. I think of myself as possessing a critical intelligence which I intend to allow to operate.

Don't forget the earth's about five thousand million years old, at least. Who can afford to live in the past?

This particular nurse said, Cancer cells are those which have forgotten how to die. I was so struck by this statement.

Feet, what do I need them forIf I have wings to fly.

I miss the animal buoyancy of New York, the animal vitality. I did not mind that it had no meaning and no depth.

I was fascinated by a compelling character embroiled in a controversial topic that told the story from a different point of view.

It's nice to be able to let go of the reins sometimes and know that somebody you really trust is gonna pick them up as soon as you do.

I'm so involved in melancholy.

Many birds and beasts are...as fit to go to Heaven as many human beings - people who talk of their seats there with as much confidence as if they had booked them at a box office.

When I discovered Mose Allison I felt I had discovered the missing link between jazz and blues

It is Hillary's lot in life not to be able to fake it well...

But here's some advice, boy. Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they're called revolutions.

What rings true is that everything we grow through in life will work out for our good.