Quotes from Andrew Vachss

We don't protect our young, and we tolerate predators of our own species.

Journalism is the protection between people and any sort of totalitarian rule. That's why my hero, admittedly a flawed one, is a journalist.

Children know the truth: love is not an emotion, love is behavior.

If love would die along with death, this life wouldn't be so hard.

I did criminal defense work part-time, and that paid the bills for representing abused and neglected children... and for defending in juvenile court those kids the 'child protective system' had missed when it had the chance.

While early childhood experiences may impel, they do not compel. In the end, evil is a matter of choice.

The idea that you're not a writer until you're published is a lie.

Roots are nice, but a tree can't run.

I don't sign contracts for my books.

I think people should be consumers of journalism.

Building a mechanical device for its appearance is like putting lace on a bowling ball.

Journalism is what maintains democracy. It's the force for progressive social change.

Anyone who says, 'Books don't change anything,' or - more commonly - that crime fiction is the wrong genre for promoting social change - should take a closer look.

All children are born pure egoists. They perceive their needs to the exclusion of all others. Only through socialization do they learn that some forms of gratification must be deferred and others denied.

Be he the first to stand or the last, a man must stand," the father had told his adoring son. "And if there is only one man, then that man must stand alone." ~Thomas to Bruce Wayne

I don't even use italics or boldface; that's clutter, not clarity. Fancy fonts are fine for blogs, just as calligraphy is fine for diaries. But when you're writing for anyone other than yourself, you want to get as universal as possible.

I hate bullies. I hate them. I'm not good enough with words to describe how much I hate them.

If I ever stopped being angry, I couldn't write anymore. How could I?

In some neighborhoods, if you want to walk down the streets, you've got two choices - look down, or look hard.

Ask any experienced defense lawyer: the real risks are for an accused person who is innocent. A guilty defendant has many more options available.

Ours is a country where anything can be accomplished if enough people get angry... because, in America, we act on our collective anger.

I don't take advances for my books.

I don't understand people whose gratification is a BMW. You don't know what joy is until you see a kid who was tortured get adopted by a family.

Family' is not just a biological word, it's an an operative one.