But even her demons she invested with inordinate beauty, consecrated them with the dignity of her attention.

There were far worse strategies in life than to try to make each aspect of one's existence a minor work of art.

In matters of good-lookingness, we writers are the ugliest of the bunch, and normally our appearance is akin to that of someone investigating a crime scene; though the women in American writing keep producing world-class beauty in droves, and there are many breathtaking writers among them.

I felt the sharp sting of emptiness and solitude that you feel so acutely and with such internal sorrow and wonder whenever music is performed well.