“A lie, sometimes, can be truer than the truth, which is why fiction gets written.”

“Story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.”

“I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.”

“A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.”

“Fiction is the lie that helps us understand the truth.”

“You can tell a true war story by the questions you ask. Somebody tells a story, let's say, and afterward you ask, 'Is it true?' and if the answer matters, you've got your answer . . . Absolute occurrence is irrelevant. A thing may happen and be a total lie; another thing may not happen and be truer than the truth.”

“That's what fiction is for. It's for getting at the truth when the truth isn't sufficient for the truth.”