“I’m a master of encouragement. Why should I do work myself when the price of getting others to do it for me is as cheap as cheering them on?”

“Smartass Disciple: Master, why do some people so stubborn and unruly ?Master of Stupidity: Only when you want them do according to your wish.”

“I write for the kid in me. . . . Often when I’m working on a story, I’ll find myself laughing at something my characters have done, or even being surprised at where they’ve taken the story. It’s as if they have a life all their own. What I do is create them and then let them go on to entertain me. . . .”

“Yo, dumbass. What do you think she’d be doing with them? Giving them ballet lessons? (Darling)Tell me again why I can’t kill him? (Hauk)You’re afraid of handling explosives. (Nykyrian)One day I’m going to get over that and when I do…(Hauk)I’ll wisely stop annoying you. (Darling)”

“There are moments in my life when I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I’m supposed to do. I pay attention to them. They’re my cosmic landmarks, letting me know I’m on the right path. Now that I’m older and can look back and see where I missed a turn here and there, and know the price I paid for those oversights, I try to look sharper at the present.”

“And I have the others in me. Even when I’m far away from them, I am forced to live with them. Even when I’m all alone, crowds surround me. I have no place to flee to, unless I were to flee from myself.”