I wish other people would write about loneliness more. It's hard to remember that it's not personal. We live in a world that is built to make people ….

I think American literature is in a tedious place, horrible place. I can't even engage with it..

I don't think that if I had spent the time that I was in, say, Belgrade, writing about my time in Trieste, which is where I had just been, that would….

Feminism now seems to be defined as success is defined: as being as good at capitalism as men are. I feel very estranged from it..

I understand maybe some people are more impressionable than my hard, cynical self, but maybe they need to figure out how to be less of that..

Once you leave, you're no longer of that country, but you are never actually of the country that you go to, and if you go back, you're not anywhere. ….

I mean, many times your creative problem is accidentally your personal problem, but it's not quite the same..

Most of what I do is for creative people - writers and painters and photographers - trying to work through creative problems..

I was twenty-one when I was hired by Planned Parenthood. It was my first work experience outside of either temping or working for my father at his st….

Talk to people who know more than you. I feel like we're in this stupid sea of opinion, like "My opinion is valid because it's mine and I have it.".

I like European and South American literature, but mostly I read nonfiction..

American culture never necessarily made sense to me, but they should warn you: leaving comes with a huge sense of alienation that never goes away..

A wild appreciation of men and women . . . who passionately and fearlessly and recklessly redefine romance. . . . The passionate creatures who refuse….

You don't have to go to New York and you don't have to go to LA or London. Go somewhere cheap. Go somewhere with free art museums and then just go to….

Go to a place and just send out emails. That's my entire life. I go to countries and I ask, "Who would I know who lives here?" Not even do I know, bu….

My belief that the publishing industry is run by prigs and cowards dates back to many years before I even had the idea for the book..

I have a really good life and I really like it..

Men exist on the planet. We have to deal with them at some point..

Just send the emails and talk to people. Spend all your money on nail polish and opera tickets..

There's this resistance to actually talking to people who are smarter than you about things and I don't know why that is..

I don't behave the way people necessarily want me to, but I tried behaving that other way for a short period of time and it didn't take..