I know that an important message is not a novel. To say that we should all be kind to our neighbors is an important statement; it's not a novel.

A child cannot pay for its mother’s milk.

Every lizard lies on its belly, so we cannot tell which has a belly-ache

Some people flinch when you talk about art in the context of the needs of society thinking you are introducing something far too common for a discussion of art. Why should art have a purpose and a use? Art shouldn't be concerned with purpose and reason and need, they say. These are improper. But from the very beginning, it seems to me, stories have indeed been meant to be enjoyed, to appeal to that part of us which enjoys good form and good shape and good sound.

Children are young, but they're not naive. And they're honest. They're not going to keep wide awake if the story is boring. When they get excited you can see it in their eyes.

People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them.

Only the story can continue beyond the war and the warrior. The story outlives the sound of the war drum... The story is our escort. Without it we are blind... It is the thing that sets us apart from cattle.