"The knowledge that we have about what it is to be human that we have as a child is something we necessarily must lose."

"The strangest thing that human speech and human writing can do is create a metaphor. That is an amazing leap, is it not?"

"Religion, you can't a handle on it, you just have to know or not know-people either believe or they don't believe."

"The thing about imagination is that by the very act of putting it down, there must be some truth in one's own imagination."

"I usually write away from home, in coffee shops, on trains, on planes, in friends' houses. I like places where there's stuff going on that you can lift your eyes, see something interesting, overhear a conversation."

"They offered me millions and millions and millions of dollars to write books about Cary. That was between us. That was private. I'll always love him."

"I like being in movies that have a great story. I'm not so interested in being a Hollywood star. It's a job, you know. When you wake up at six in the morning every day for a week, it feels like hard work."

"Write your goals down in detail and read your list of goals every day. Some goals may entail a list of shorter goals. Losing a lot of weight, for example, should include mini-goals, such as 10-pound milestones. This will keep your subconscious mind focused on what you want step by step."