"You just want to try a bunch of stuff, because you don't know what's going to be great."

“Personally, I do not believe that it is the duty of any man or woman to write a novel. In nine cases out of ten, there would be greater merit in leaving it unwritten.”

“The task of the historian is to understand the peoples of the past better than they understand themselves.”

“Love has seven names, / Which, as you know, are appropriate to her; / Chain, light, live coal, and fire - / ... dew, living spring, and hell.”

Source : Hadewijch, Columba Hart (1980). “Hadewijch (CWS)”, p.352, Paulist Press

“A good day for Barack Obama is anytime the dominant topic of discussion is anything but the economy.”

“Whether zeal or moderation be the point we aim at, let us keep the fire out of the one, and the frost out of the other.”

“Give me oysters and beer, for dinner every day of the year, and I'll be fine...”

“Don't be shy about believing in your ideas - even if folks around you think you're crazy.”

“Whatever flaws or personal failings afflict them, it remains the case that the overwhelming majority of priests and politicians are honourable and honest - seeking to live out their beliefs and serve society.”

Source : "Paedophile priests have left Catholics confused and demoralised, cardinal to say" by Riazat Butt, www.theguardian.com. April 2, 2010.