“You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.”

“You don't write because someone sets assignments! You write because you need to write, or because you hope someone will listen or because writing will mend something broken inside you or bring something back to life.”

“Columnists write not just because they have something to say but also because they have to say something.”

“The reason one writes isn't the fact he wants to say something. He writes because he has something to say.”

“People say to write about what you know. I'm here to tell you, no one wants to read that, cos you don't know anything. So write about something you don't know. And don't be scared, ever.”

“If it's true, does it have to be nice? If you have something true to say, but you don't say it because you just want to be nice, isn't that sort of like a lie?”