So-called "inspiration" is no more than an extreme example of a process which constantly goes on in the minds of all of us.

When a man suffers from delusions he is described as mad but when a million do so they belong to a world religion

If creative work protects a man against mental illness, it is small wonder that he pursues it with avidity; and even if the state of mind he is seeking to avoid is no more than a mild state of depression or apathy, this still constitutes a cogent reason for engaging in creative work even when it brings no obvious external benefit in its train.

I get intrigued by a puzzle, and writing a book is the best way to solve it.

Since I was not able wholly to subscribe to any one set of beliefs advanced by any 'guru' I had to fall back on my own, however derivative.

Avoidance behavior is a response designed to protect the infant from behavioral disorganization. If we transfer this concept to adult life, we can see that an avoidant infant might very well develop into a person whose principal need was to find some kind of meaning and order in life which was not entirely, or even chiefly, dependent upon interpersonal relationships

It is a tragic paradox that the very qualities that have led to man's extraordinary capacity for success are also those most likely to destroy him.