"One can no more prevent the mind from returning to an idea than the sea from returning to a shore. In the case of the sailor this is called the tide; in the case of the guilty it is called remorse. God upheaves the soul as well as the ocean."
- Victor Hugo, from Les Miserables
"Something that irritates you and won’t let you go. That’s the anguish of
it. Do this book, or die. You have to go through that. Talent is
insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the
usual words: discipline, love, luck, but most of all, endurance."