What intrigued me more than anything else was finding out the way in which everything, all of creation - all of it! - was held together by invisible chemical bonds, and I found a strange, inexplicable comfort in knowing that somewhere, even though we couldn't see it in our own world, there was a real stability.

If poisons were ponies, I'd put my money on cyanide.

One of the marks of a truly great mind, I had discovered, is the ability to feign stupidity on demand.

To be most effective, flattery is always best applied with a trowel.

My grandmother flew only once in her life, and that was the day she and her new husband ascended into the skies of Victorian London in the wicker basket of a hot-air balloon. They were soon to emigrate to Canada, and the aerial ride was meant to be a last view of their beloved England.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: Inspiration from outside one's self is like the heat in an oven. It makes passable Bath buns. But inspiration from within is like a volcano: It changes the face of the world.

Whenever I'm with other people, part of me shrinks a little. Only when I am alone can I fully enjoy my own company.