I think religion should be treated with ridicule, hatred and contempt, and I claim that right.

Reagan is doing to the country what he can no longer do to his wife.

Islamophobia: a word created by fascists, and used by cowards, to manipulate morons.

Literature, not scripture, sustains the mind and - since there is no other metaphor - also the soul.

At the evident risk of seeming ridiculous, I want to begin by saying that I have tried for much of my life to write as if I was composing my sentences to be read posthumously. I hope this isn't too melodramatic or self-centred a way of saying that I attempt to write as if I did not care what reviewers said, what peers thought, or what prevailing opinions may be.

The cause of my life has been to oppose superstition. It's a battle you can't hope to win - it's a battle that's going to go on forever. It's part of the human condition.

Chemotherapy isn't good for you. So when you feel bad, as I am feeling now, you think, 'Well that is a good thing because it's supposed to be poison. If it's making the tumor feel this queasy, then I'm OK with it.'