I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am.

People apparently only read mystery stories of any length. With mysteries, the longer the better, and people will read any damn thing. But the indulgent, 800-page books that were written a hundred years ago are just not going to be written anymore, and people need to get used to that.

The man who believes that the secrets of the world are forever hidden lives in mystery and fear. Superstition will drag him down. The rain will erode the deeds of his life. But that man who sets himself the task of singling out the thread of order from the tapestry will by the decision alone have taken charge of the world and it is only by such taking charge that he will effect a way to dictate the terms of his own fate.

I was afraid I was goin to die and then I was afraid I wasnt.

You always pay too much. Particularly for promises. There aint no such thing as a bargain promise.

It takes very little to govern good people. Very little. And bad people cant be governed at all. Or if they could I never heard of it.

There was someone there and they had been there. There was no one there. There was someone there and they had been there and they had not left but there was no one there.