“Widespread public access to knowledge, like public education, is one of the pillars of our democracy, a guarantee that we can maintain a well-informed citizenry.”
“On the streets, unrequited love and death go together almost as often as in Shakespeare.”
“The purpose of narrative is to present us with complexity and ambiguity.”
“The first time I remember really being excited about a book was 'The Count of Monte Cristo.'”
“I adore the company of other writers because they are so often lively minds and, frequently, blazingly funny. And of course, we get each other in a unique way.”
“Now, many public libraries want to lend e-books, not simply to patrons who come in to download, but to anybody with a reading device, a library card and an Internet connection. In this new reality, the only incentive to buy, rather than borrow, an e-book is the fact that the lent copy vanishes after a couple of weeks.”
“The truth of the matter is that the people who succeed in the arts most often are the people who get up again after getting knocked down. Persistence is critical.”
“You know, my mom, who inspired me to be a novelist, I remember her reading 'The Agony and the Ecstasy,' about Michelangelo, and saying, 'No mother would want that for her child, no matter how great the artist.' I have my share of demons, but I am a gregarious sort.”
“People talk of me as being the inventor of the legal thriller.”
“The prosecutor, who is supposed to carry the burden of proof, really is an author.”