"Money changes all the iron rules into rubber bands."

"He killed his enemies because he was afraid they would kill him. Amin ordered entire tribes to be put to death, because he feared they would rebel."

"The tradition of Russian literature is also an eastern tradition of learning poetry and prose by heart."

"My writing is a combination of three elements. The first is travel: not travel like a tourist, but travel as exploration. The second is reading literature on the subject. The third is reflection."

"Because at bottom, I'm interested in fear, and in courage and cowardice and these are easier to get at through fiction, where you can enter people's heads."

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it."

"One of the scary things is that, when you're a kid, you look at your dad as the man who has no fear. When you're an adult, you realize your father had fear, and that you have it, too."

"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed."