There are no easy methods of learning difficult things; the method is to close your door, give out that you are not at home, and work. – Joseph de Maistre
I have to have a character worth caring about. I tend not to start writing books about people I dont have a lot of sympathy for because Im just going to be with them too long. – Richard Russo
There is no spot of ground, however arid, bare or ugly, that cannot be tamed into such a state as may give an impression of beauty and delight. – Gertrude Jekyll
