Innocent people can get into terrible jams, too. One false move and you're in over your head.
Ben HechtMovies are one of the bad habits that have corrupted our century. They have slipped into the American mind more misinformation in one evening than the Dark Ages could muster in a decade.
Ben HechtThere's one thing that keeps surprising you about stormy old friends after they die - their silence.
Ben HechtThe rule in the art world is: you cater to the masses or you kowtow to the elite; you can't have both.
Ben HechtCriticism can never instruct or benefit you. Its chief effect is that of a telegram with dubious news. Praise leaves no glow behind, for it is a writer's habit to remember nothing good of himself. I have usually forgotten those who have admired my work, and seldom anyone who disliked it. Obviously, this is because praise is never enough and censure always too much.
Ben Hecht