There's a ton of truth in Flannery O'Connor's notion that "Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days."

You do not have to explain every single drop of water contained in a rain barrel. You have to explain one drop-H2O. The reader will get it.

Keep a small can of WD-40 on your desk-away from any open flames-to remind yourself that if you don't write daily, you will get rusty.

One day we will all cherish the memory of having blacksmiths on every corner.

I have to deal with seven ex-stray dogs, and one ex-stray cat. One dog is nearing nineteen years old. Before I go to teach, he likes for me to tell him bedtime stories.

Don't try to outguess what's going on in publishing, and write what you want to write.

Gilles Deleuze believed that every society needed a madman so we could feel better about ourselves. I do my best to fill that role.

I don't smoke because I like to do so, but because it makes me pay cigarette taxes, which helps build roads and water supplies.

Think about all the selfish non-smokers out there, driving around on asphalt, drinking water out of the tap, not even thinking about how smokers' taxes help pay for it all.

There were a hundred shades between a truth and lie, and she knew them all.

It doesn't matter how old you are, " Lila said. "What matters is how you live.

The four stages of acceptance:1. This is worthless nonsense.2. This is an interesting, but perverse, point of view.3. This is true, but quite unimportant.4. I always sai

Writing was a defeat, it was a humiliation, it was coming face-to-face with yourself and seeing you weren't good enough.

Life is too short to be complicated by rules, live it big

Almost invariably, whoever doesn't win the argument is going to be unhappy.

You are epic fail if you think you are better than me!

If I flop, let 'em pan me.

Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now.

If I thought I could win one more soul to the Lord by walking on my head and playing the tambourine with my toes, I'd learn how!