– And do you have any regrets about things you might have done other…

– You mean about writing?

– Writing or family, I mean you are clearly such a family man, you write about family with huge tenderness, and do you regret not having family on your own?

– I don’t seem to regret that. It’s a fact in my biography, well I… I have some regrets, but it wouldn’t be a life without regrets. I used to have a friend who is a dead now, American writer, her name is Josie Hurst.. I remember Josie saying to me, the first time I met her, that’s one reason I liked her so much, I was complaining about huge mistake I’ve made in my life around that time, and Josie said to me, if it weren’t for my mistakes I’d still be back in Sioux City, Iowa… and I thought, that is true… so your mistakes propel you forward.

Philip Roth, interview, bbc