“The importance not just of history, but of roots - that a writer must have then to nurture, to remember if he is to endure.”

“In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplicable... The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.”

“Remember, 'No one's more important than people'! In other words, friendship is the most important thing--not career or housework, or one's fatigue--and it needs to be tended and nurtured.”

“The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold onto this illusion, even though he knows it's not true.”

“We must remember that what a writer does to people is not necessarily what he intends to do. It may be only what people are capable of having done to them.”

“You have not forgotten to remember;You have remembered to forget.But people can forget to forget. That is just as important as remembering to remember - and generally more practical.”