The people and the people alone are the motive force in the making of world history.

In all history there is no war which was not hatched by the governments the governments alone independent of the interests of the people to whom war is always pernicious even when successful.

You that would judge me do not judge alone this book or that come to this hallowed place where my friends' portraits hang and look thereon Ireland's history in their lineaments trace think where man's glory most begins and ends and say my glory was I had such friends.

Blood alone moves the wheels of history.

I believed my story would be helpful to young women my daughter's age who are still in the process of forming themselves as women and in need of encouragement to remain true to themselves.

To write a story about New York that only deals with people in your age and socioeconomic bracket that feels dishonest to me. So much of New York comes from everyone bumping into each other.

Each age tries to form its own conception of the past. Each age writes the history of the past anew with reference to the conditions uppermost in its own time.

Losing both parents at a young age gave me a sense that you can't really control life - so you'd better live it while it's here. I stopped believing in a storybook existence a long time ago. All you can do is push in a direction and see what comes of it.

When you're my age and you see a story you better go for it pretty quickly. I'd just like to get a few more novels under my belt.

The history of my life must begin by the earliest circumstance which my memory can evoke it will therefore commence when I had attained the age of eight years and four months.