Short-story writing requires an exquisite sense of balance. Novelists, frankly, can get away with more. A novel can have a dull spot or two, because the reader has made a different commitment.
“When I come home, my daughter will run to the door and give me a big hug, and everything that's happened that day just melts away.”
“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose.”