"I write for myself. I don't write for an audience."

"Every one of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That’s part of what it means to be alive."

"Reality is a very tough opponent. It’s like a sumo wrestler—you can’t push it over easily."

"I'm not interested in writing about what's popular. I'm interested in writing about what's true."

"Every time I write a novel, it's like going to war."