When friends stop being frank and useful to each other, the whole world loses some of its radiance.

The more I like a book, the more reluctant I am to turn the page. Lovers, even book lovers, tend to cling. No one-night stands or "reads" for them.

Either a writer doesn't want to talk about his work, or he talks about it more than you want.

The more I like a book, the more slowly I read. this spontaneous talking back to a book is one of the things that makes reading so valuable.

Paranoids are the only ones who notice things anymore.

When friends stop being frank and useful to each other, the whole world loses some of its radiance.

To choose a writer for a friend is like palling around with your cardiologist, who might be musing as you talk to him that you are a sinking man. A writer's love for another writer is never quite free of malice. He may enjoy discussing your failures even more than you do. He probably sees you as tragic, like his characters - or unworthy of tragedy, which is worse.