When you witness the end of a life up close day by day, you begin to understand time and mortality in profound ways. You see time's relativity, death's necessity.

Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.

Sexism goes so deep that at first it's hard to see; you think it's just reality.

Fiction is ideally suited to re-creating the important emotional aspects of history.

There is still nothing like equality for women in jobs, in family. There's just an awareness that inequality is not acceptable.

My mirror image always had to be interpreted. And for that I sought my reflection in someone else's eyes.

Being alone for a woman is probably much more scary than for a man. I'm all for getting over our fears by facing them head-on.

Everything is connected. There is no such thing as an island, especially in our world, global village, the whole thing. Pollution from way across the ocean circulates in the air.

Many people spend the ends of their lives alone, and probably a lot of years in the middle of their lives, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience the rewards of solitude.

Usually, ordinary histories don't get the emotional feel of a period. That's what a novel can do.

In my books, my idea is always to explore social context and social forces.

...look with-in (Jesus)

The theory of karma exists not to bring fear to your heart but to ensure you do not lose hope and give up at the first obstacle that hits your path.

...[we] has left nothing durable to signalize his stay upon this planet.[we]eventually dies to the honest regret of [our] associates.

I know you love me. The question is, how much?

He hoped that none of his descendants would get mixed up in politics, which was a trade for butchers and bandits.

When you are young and healthy, it never occurs to you that in a single second your whole life could change.

Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.

An indifference to suffering makes humans inhuman

No problem is so deep that it cannot be overcome, given the will of all parties, through discussion and negotiation rather than force and violence.

Forward my mail to Mars.