"The most important thing for you to do is to find a story that you want to tell and then tell it. It's the only way you'll ever get any peace."

"I'm not a fan of war, but I'm a fan of peace."

"I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatle…"

"To understand the man, you have to understand what he wanted. And what he wanted was always the same: to be a writer."

"We have to be careful what we pretend to be, because we are what we pretend to be."