Books have their destinies like men. And their fates, as made by generations of readers, are very different from the destinies foreseen for them by their authors. Gulliver's Travels, with a minimum of expurgation, has become a children's book; a new illustrated edition is produced every Christmas. That's what comes of saying profound things about humanity in terms of a fairy story.

Only a person with a Best Seller mind can write Best Sellers.

If you want to be a psychological novelist and write about human beings, the best thing you can do is keep a pair of cats.

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.

A man may be a pessimistic determinist before lunch and an optimistic believer in the will's freedom after it.

To be a fool at the right time is also an art.

For the born traveller, travelling is a besetting vice. Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding its victim's time, money, energy and the sacrifice of comfort.