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Only one constant existed: I wrote. Writing was my center of gravity.

Mentors can suggest to you what more you are capable of.

Heaven preserve me from the Epidemic of a Proud Ignorance!

The future of the book began to appear among imaginary woods.

I know now not to measure my insides against others’ outsides.

“Nobody asked you to write.” Over time, I realized it was a magic key.

Love is not something you wait for passively, but a practice.

I’ve read this novel at various stages of my life and I feel as if I know Isabel.

The Great Gatsby had an awful, detrimental effect on me.

One of my stories was rejected by a journal as “theatrical and self-limiting.”

Art doesn’t conform to a capitalist’s ratio of productivity to time.

My grandmother read one of my early stories and warned—don’t force your muse.

In real life, my favorite character, so to speak, is Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

I’m a big fan of then. A novel needs a lot of thens.

I love talking to girls. That’s why I’ve written so much about them.

I don’t own a smartphone and never will. I’ve never sent a text.

The story of racism does not simply happen to people of color.

“The Sentry” taught me that all true laughter has tears behind it.

I wish I could tell her that we aren’t supposed to know why we’re here.

There’s something to stepping right out of your dreams and onto the page.

A more typical writing day for me is being constantly interrupted.

Try never to repeat rhymes, not once in an entire show. It tires the ear.

I like to think of love as something that one should keep feeding, like a fire.

Most days, at the pool, we are able to leave our troubles on land behind.

Best part of the day? The part when I come up with an idea for a cartoon.

How does he do it? I’ve been trying to figure this out for the past decade.

Love’s not all that fun, but it saves you. And you should be saved.

It helped me free myself from a longtime source of unhappiness.

Henry Chinaski is just so deplorable and lovable; he makes me laugh.