“Anyone who calls it "sexual intercourse" can't possibly be interested in actually doing it. You might as well announce you're ready for lunch by proclaiming, "I'd like to do some masticating and enzyme secreting.”

“Do not speak about anyone who is not physically present.”

“There are some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told.”

“For me, creative energy is like an old-fashioned ground-water well. When the well is dry, it’s dry. I can dig all I like, and all I’ll get for my pains is sore hands, some very bad prose, and maybe (if I’m lucky) a few odd droplets of notes I can actually use. Or not. It’s usually not worth it. After many years, I’ve discovered that it’s better to wait until some ground water seeps back into the well rather than to try and lick up every drop as it emerges.”

“If you're good at it, and you love it, and it helps you navigate the river of the world, then it can't be wrong.”

“It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor. You start believing that you're poor because you're stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you're stupid and ugly because you're Indian. And because you're Indian you start believing you're destined to be poor. It's an ugly circle and there's nothing you can do about it.”

“She's the Sandwhich Lady.""Excuse me?""She delivers sandwiches to the homeless.""Really. I can't imagine her in such a role.""What do you mean?" "Well, she always seems so impulsive, so emotional. What's the word I'm searching for? So individualistic. Not tribal at all...”