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" Things were here before you and will be here after you're gone. The geographic features, especially, give you a sense of your own place in the world and in time. "

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" I think if the writing comes too easily, it shows - it's usually hard to read. "

" I always want to write something better than the last book. "

" I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass. "

" I never planned on doing a book about Paul Farmer or his organization. I met him in Haiti when I was on a magazine assignment. It's almost like his story sort of fell in my lap. "

" If you live in the same small place long enough, something you don't like is bound to happen. "

" People say you can't teach writing, but I think that's nonsense. "

" Continuity is one of the things I like about New England. "

" Being a professional writer is not an easy way to make a living. "

" At first, I spend about four hours a day writing. Toward the end of a book, I spend up to 16 hours a day on it, because all I want to do is make it good and get it done. "

" The combination of domesticity and wildness - that's a deep expression. "

" I usually write about ordinary people and ordinary things, but Paul Farmer is the least ordinary person I've ever met... He's the leader of a small group of people who hope to cure a sick world, and I hope my book can help in some small way. "

" The hardest thing was learning to write. I was 13, and the only writing I had done was for Social Studies. It consisted of copying passages right out of the encyclopedia. "

" I wrote a novel about the combat experiences I didn't have in Vietnam. "

" I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why. "

" What interests me is trying to catch the reflection of the human being on the page. I'm interested in how ordinary people live their lives. "

" When I select a topic, it's usually a commitment of two to three years of my life. "

" In a very basic way, a prominent landmark such as Mt. Holyoke tells you where you are. They let you know that you're not the first person in a place. "

" I tell beginning readers to read a lot and write a lot. If you want to write a book, find a subject that's really worth the time and effort you'll put in. "

" If you had an essentially happy childhood, that tends to dwell with you. "

Happy Childhood

" I know that to write you have to have stories you want to tell. You have to keep your mind alive, and you have to work hard. "

" What I like about non-fiction is that it covers such a huge territory. The best non-fiction is also creative. "

" You do the right thing even if it makes you feel bad. The purpose of life is not to be happy but to be worthy of happiness. "