You have no idea how promising the world begins to look once you have decided to have it all for yourself. And how much healthier your decisions are once they become entirely selfish.

I suppose what one wants really is ideal company and books are ideal company.

Writing has freed me from the despair of living.

Great writers are the saints for the godless.

Writing novels preserves you in a state of innocence - a lot passes you by - simply because your attention is otherwise diverted.

A man of such obvious and exemplary charm must be a liar.

Problems of human behavior still continue to baffle us, but at least in the Library we have them properly filed.