“Real life doesn't grant us many of the more than useful possibilities people can come out with in fiction.”

“Fiction can be more real to the reader than reality itself because fiction is the essence of life”

“If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats.”

“Fiction does something unique in that it takes us out of our heads and puts us into other people's heads. And I think reading, and experiencing fiction through reading, is something that gives us empathy. And that, I think, is vital. It takes us out of our lives. Without reading, you're stuck with one life. Reading gives you more than one life. It gives you an infinite number of lives, which I think is wonderful. Or at least, not infinite, but as many as there are books on the shelves.”

“Imagination and fiction make up more than three quarters of our real life.”

“How sad that I felt more of a connection to a fictional character than to a guy in real life.”