Nothing is more satisfying than to write a good sentence. It is no fun to write lumpishly, dully, in prose the reader must plod through like wet sand. But it is a pleasure to achieve, if one can, a clear running prose that is simple yet full of surprises. This does not just happen. It requires skill, hard work, a good ear, and continued practice.

Vainglory, however, no matter how much medieval Christianity insisted it was a sin, is a motor of mankind, no more eradicable than sex.

For me, the card catalog has been a companion all my working life. To leave it is like leaving the house one was brought up in.

Human beings of any age need to approve of themselves; the bad times in history come when they cannot.

Books are the carriers of civilization... Books are humanity in print.

Nothing is more satisfying than to write a good sentence.

The power to command frequently causes failure to think.