“You can’t just write and write and put things in a drawer. They wither without the warm sun of someone else’s appreciation.”

“I can’t and won’t write without hope.I’d rather never write again.”

“Why did he write to her, “I can’t live without you?” And why did she write to him “I can’t live without you?” For he went west and she went east and they both lived.”

“I can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss—you can’t do it alone.”

“The trouble with writing a book about yourself is that you can’t fool around. If you write about someone else, you can stretch the truth from here to Finland. If you write about yourself the slightest deviation makes you realize instantly that there may be honor among thieves, but you are just a dirty liar.”

“Writing is like a lump of coal. Put it under enough pressure and polish it enough and you might just end up with a diamond. Otherwise, you can burn it to keep warm.”