It's scary to me to watch the world around us get less and less physical while in the imaginary world of pop culture, aggressive impulses and fear reactions are floridly, furiously stoked and indulged.

Everyone says 'Anna Karenina' is about individual desire going against society, but I actually think the opposite is stronger: the way societal forces limit the expression of the individual.

Something like riding a horse - which I've recently started doing - requires courage, especially for me, as I started out being actually scared of horses.

Mary Gaitskill Quotes