"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist."

"The idea of the sacred is quite simply one of the most conservative notions in any culture, because it seeks to turn other ideas—uncertainty, progress, change—into crimes."

"If you want to write, read. If you want to write well, read a lot."

"I think that literature is a way of understanding the world, and understanding ourselves."

"Reality is a question of perspective; the further you get from the past, the more concrete and plausible it seems—but as you approach the present, it inevitably seems incredible."