“I was always a sensitive, sweet kid, but I got brutalized and I became...” — Andre Dubus III Quote

“I was always a sensitive, sweet kid, but I got brutalized and I became brutal. And frankly, I don't think it was my natural makeup. I don't think its anyone's natural makeup to be a violent brawler.”

“As a matter of writing philosophy, if there is one, I try not to ever plot a story. I try to write it from the character's point of view and see where it goes.”

“Most of the time I feel stupid, insensitive, mediocre, talentless and vulnerable - like I'm about to cry any second - and wrong. I've found that when that happens, it usually means I'm writing pretty well, pretty deeply, pretty rawly.”

“Saddam Hussein has been brutal against his people, but when he was committing those crimes, the international community did not come to the rescue of the Iraqis.”

“What I like in L.A. is that it's a lot more brutal. In England it's, 'Have a cup of tea, have a chat,' and you still don't get the part. In L.A. you go in, do your bit, and if they don't like you, you're straight out again. In a sense, that's more honest.”

“If you're not winning the event, you're a loser every week. That's when I think tennis is really brutal. It keeps going, with or without you.”