You can never get the smell of smoke out. Like the smell of failure in life. — John Updike. American writer (1932–2009)
We're past the age of heroes and hero kings. … Most of our lives are basically mundane and dull, and it's up to the writer to find ways to make them interesting.
Life is like an overlong drama through which we sit being nagged by the vague memories of having read the reviews.