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One of the illusions that we live by is that we can really know anybody else, and we're often surprised by traits in people that we thought we knew very well. The struggle to overcome loneliness, which is sort of our universal burden, leads us to leap to conclusions about who other people are.

To me, I have my friends who I've known my whole life, and I can count them on one hand. They're people I went to school with, my mum's friends' daughters. You know?

I write a lot about other people, like family and friends. I look at their lives and relationships and think, 'Well, if I was in your position, this is how I would see it.'

Why is it so unutterably beneficial, the thought that someone besides myself knows me?

I think that more flow of information, the ability to stay connected to more people makes people more effective as people. And I mean, that's true socially. It makes you have more fun, right. It feels better to be more connected to all these people. You have a richer life.

And so, I think when I got to college, you discover who you are and find yourself more than you did before.

Outside of the family, education is the greatest determinant of social mobility.

It's very important to surround yourself with people you can learn from.

I think family is key, and if you have love for family, then you have love for others - and you have unity as a people.

For me as a person, friendships are incredibly important to me, but in writing, they can distract me.