“I'm a great admirer of secularism. At its best, I think it's one of the best things that we have. I don't believe in insinuating religion into conversation. I don't believe in excluding it from conversation. I enjoy the fact that people's innermost thoughts are their own.”

American novelist and essayist of the late 20th and 21st centuries, Marilynne Robinson is best known for her meditative fiction and nonfiction exploring faith, morality, and the American landscape. Her work often blends intellectual depth with lyrical prose, examining the intersection of belief and human experience.