“In books, as in life, there are no second chances. On second thought: ...” — Cynthia Ozick Quote

In books, as in life, there are no second chances. On second thought: it's the next work, still to be written, that offers the second chance.

I am proudest of that first novel, 'Trust,' of anything I have written. I don't think I've had such intense energy since.

A novel can be set in motion by an incident, a character, a location, a mood - by anything at all. Sometimes the stimulus can be an idea, which will rapidly clothe itself in character and incident. 'Foreign Bodies' came about through the contemplation of the contrast between post-second world war America and Europe.

There was a period... when I used to say, with as much ferocity as I could muster, 'I hate Henry James, and I wish he was dead.' Influence is perdition.

Combine that with the fact that we only had one week to get everything taken care of and to get to know one another, whereas most shows get two weeks. It looked like we would never have a chance.

Some weeks, I'll go super-hard at practice for two straight days, but then the third day, something happens away from basketball, and I'll lose focus. I'll say, 'I just want to get through practice. I don't want to conquer it today.' But then I'll go home and realize I missed a chance to get better, and it'll bother me.

It is with children that we have the best chance of studying the development of logical knowledge, mathematical knowledge, physical knowledge, and so forth.

All human beings are born entrepreneurs. Some get a chance to unleash that capacity. Some never got the chance, never knew that he or she has that capacity.