“Of all the principles I'd learn about story, the idea that a character is what he does remains the hardest to actually live.”

“On principle' one can do anything and what one does is, fundamentally, a matter of indifference, just as a man's life remains insignificant even though 'on principle' he gives his support to all the 'needs of the times.”

“The lives and deaths of characters in stories and poems, however tragic, help us to learn about the world and - if we are brave enough - to change it.”

“What does it say about me that I'm jealous of the lives of fictional characters?”

“Every story starts with an idea, but it is the characters that move this idea forward.”

“They teach us that human beings learn and absorb ideas and concepts through narrative, through stories, not through lessons or theoretical speeches. This is what any religious texts teach us. They’re all tales about characters who must confront life and overcome obstacles, figures setting off on a journey of spiritual enrichment through exploits and revelations.”