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I'm a big believer in big books, and that doesn't necessarily mean long books.

You know what writers say about their long books: If I had another year, the book would be half as long.

You're not a historian, but most historians will tell you that they make very discrete judgment as to what facts to omit in order to make their book into some shape, some length that can be managed.

I always tell my students, 'If you walk around with your eyes and ears open, you can't possibly live long enough to write all the novels you'll encounter.'

I believe most things can be said in a few lines.

As authors, we all have to learn not to be reactive to public statements about our books. It's really not our business what each reader thinks of them.

One always tends to overpraise a long book, because one has got through it.

When I was younger, I was full of smart things to say about all my books.

The test of an author is not to be found merely in the number of his phrases that pass current in the corner of newspapers... but in the number of passages that have really taken root in younger minds.