If I had to give a definition of capitalism I would say: the process whereby American girls turn into American women.

There is a sort of theory that you should adapt bad books because they always make more successful films.

I have always thought of sophistication as rather a feeble substitute for decadence.

A great number of the disappointments and mishaps of the troubled world are the direct result of literature and the allied arts. It is our belief that no human being who devotes his life and energy to the manufacture of fantasies can be anything but fundamentally inadequate.

Often I think the novels I read won't make very good movies - I better not say which I'm looking at for potential films! - but it's nice to have an excuse to just sit and read for a whole day.

It's great to get out of the study and work with real living and breathing people.

To seduce a woman famous for strict morals, religious fervor and the happiness of her marriage: what could possibly be more prestigious?