“Being in the mood to write, like being in the mood to make love, is a luxury that isn't necessary in a long-term relationship. Just as the first caress can lead to a change of heart, the first sentence, however tentative and awkward, can lead to a desire to go just a little further.”

“You can only be in a bad mood for so long before you have to face up to the fact that it isn't a bad mood at all; it's just your sucky personality.”

“My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn't like math;in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way you feel changes everything.”

“A long term relationship is priceless! Divorce isn't. This book should help you get it right the first time. Since it just came out however, it will help you get it right the next time also.”

“For Heidegger, boredom is a privileged fundamental mood because it leads us directly into the very problem complex of being and time.”

“I'm just not in a writing mood, but I keep going. What if the garbage man were not in a garbage mood? or the doctor not in a healing mood?”