Luckily, even as a young man not yet become himself, John Bridgens had two things besides indecision that kept him from self-destruction - books and a sense of irony.

The love of violence is an aspect of our humanity. Even the weak wish to be strong primarily so they can wield the whip.

It's odd how violence and humor so often go together, isn't it?

I loved almost everything about being a teacher, but I was an unusual teacher

We are all eaters of souls.

Seduction... was both a science and art - a blend of skill, discipline, proximity, and opportunity. Mostly proximity.

Words bend our thinking to infinite paths of self-delusion, and the fact that we spend most of our mental lives in brain mansions built of words means that we lack the objectivity necessary to see the terrible distortion of reality which language brings.