There are too many books I haven't read, too many places I haven't seen, too many memories I haven't kept long enough.

Ernest Hemingway did a great deal toward making the writer an acceptable public figure; obviously, he was no sissy.

At the height of the McCarthy period, writers were being hounded.

I haven't stuck to any formula. Most great writers stick to the same style, but I wanted to be more various.

When we separate music from life we get art.

I often wonder when I make a film - I'm thinking of making a film of the Buddha - and I often wonder: If Buddha had all the elements that are given to a director - if he had music, if he had visuals, if he had a video camera - would we get Buddhism better?

I'm actually doing what I like doing, which is mixing opera music and classical music with soul and folk. And I was writing and talking about what I've actually experienced, and I don't think that's very common.

Anything you put your mind to and add your imagination into can make your life a lot better and a lot more fun.