Fear is the white lipp'd sire Of subterfuge and treachery.
Don’t sanctuaries become prisons, and vice versa, foremost in the mind?
For sometimes you can't help but crave some ruin in what you love.
It is 'where we are' that should make all the difference, whether we believe we belong there or not.
As for what's the most challenging aspect of teaching, it's convincing younger writers of the importance of reading widely and passionately.
Obviously loss of family is huge and critical, but I think really it's more about losing a sense of family. The horror of that kind of incompleteness. Writing this book, I tried not to think about my father, which does no one any good fictionally. I did try to imagine not just the horror of that moment, but the horror of having witnessed it, and the lifelong void. And I think that's what's so frightening.
The truth, finally, is who can tell it.
Machines are the opium of the masses. If all the machines in England were thrown into the North Sea tomorrow, we should be back in the Garden of Eden. And the weather would probably improve.
If you buy a Cartier ring you want people to know it is a Cartier ring or a diamond, or a piece of art that's giving an emotion - then people read it and say, "wow that's really amazing". With prêt-à-porter you see people in the street, in a club, in a restaurant or whatever, and you think, "Oh my god, he's wearing my trousers!" In a way it's more open - people can put together the way they want - mixed with other designers.
Jiu-Jitsu for sure will save your ass, one way or another. Not necessarily a physical fight but also being able to deal with yourself, know about yourself, and really improve yourself as a whole.
The older you get, the fewer things it seems too late to do.