In every man's heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty.

Poetry comes with anger, hunger and dismay; it does not often visit groups of citizens sitting down to be literary together, and would appal them if it did.

Living in a bookshop is like living in a warehouse of explosives. Those shelves are ranked with the most furious combustibles in the world--the brains of men.

I wish there could be an international peace conference of booksellers, for (you will smile at this) my own conviction is that the future happiness of the world depends in no small measure on them and on the librarians.

There are a lot of people who must have the table laid in the usual fashion or they will not enjoy the dinner.

We've had bad luck with our kids - they've all grown up.

The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking.