Self-pity is essentially humorless, devoid of that lightness of touch which gives understanding of life.
[T]here is no greater sign of innate misery than a love of teasing.
Writing is a combination of intangible creative fantasy and appallingly hard work.
Literature illuminates life only for those to whom books are a necessity.
Parents. . . are sometimes a bit of a disappointment to their children. They don't fulfil the promise of their early years.
I was impressed for the ten thousandth time by the fact that literature illuminates life only for those to whom books are a necessity. Books are unconvertible assets, to be passed on only to those who possess them already.