...all them things I don't know could get you killed if I come to know them
I would rather be dead than not read
Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.
... there are four women in every man’s heart. The Maid in the Meadow, the Demon Lover, the Stouthearted Woman, the Tall and Quiet Woman.
In a rough way the short story writer is to the novelist as a cabinetmaker is to a house carpenter.
I find it satisfying and intellectually stimulating to work with the intensity, brevity, balance and word play of the short story.