A writer should not so much write as embroider on paper; the work should be painstaking, laborious.

If you ever have need of my life, come and take it.

There is no national science, just as there is no national multiplication table; what is national is no longer science.

You ask me what life is. That's like asking what a carrot is. A carrot is a carrot, and there's nothing more to know.

In displaying the psychology of your characters, minute particulars are essential. God save us from vague generalizations! Be sure not to discuss your hero's state of mind. Make it clear from his actions. Nor is it necessary to portray many main characters. Let two people be the center of gravity in your story: he and she.

If in the first act you introduce a gun, by the third act you have to use it.

If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there.