We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.

It matters enormously if I alienate anyone from the truth.

Every poem can be considered in two ways--as what the poet has to say, and as a thing which he makes.

Reality, in fact, is always something you couldn't have guessed. That's one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It's a religion you couldn't have guessed.

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'

Any amount of theology can now be smuggled into people's minds under the cover of fiction without their knowing it.

A tyrannous and gluttonous demand for affection can be a horrible thing. But in ordinary life no one calls a child selfish because it turns for comfort to its mother; nor an adult who turns to his fellow "for company." Those, whether children or adults, who do so least are not usually the most selfless.