“There are moments when you can only stand and stare, watching the world forget you as you remove yourself from it - when you overcome it and cease to exist as the person you were.”

“When a person's last response was Saumensch or Saukerl or Arschloch, you knew you had them beaten.”

“He's been to the brink and come back. I guess when you lose your pride, even for just a moment, you realise how much it means to you.”

“A SMALL PIECE OF TRUTHI do not carry a sickle or scythe.I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold.And I don't have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance. You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue.”

“You can do all manner of underhanded nice things when you have a caustic reputation.”

“The question is, what color will everything be at that moment when I come for you? What will the sky be saying?”

“I like that every page in every book can have a gem on it. It's probably what I love most about writing—that words can be used in a way that's like a child playing in a sandpit, rearranging things, swapping them around. They're the best moments in a day of writing—when an image appears that you didn't know would be there when you started work in the morning.”