Why does any martyr cooperate with his judases?...We see a game beyond the endgame...As Seneca warned Nero: No matter how many of us you kill, you will never kill your successor.

Why fight the 'natural' (oh, weaselly word!) order of things? Why? Because of this--one fine day, a purely predatory world shall consume itself. In an individual, selfishness uglifies the soul; for the human species, selfishness is extinction.

Secrets affect you more than you’d think. You lie to keep them hidden. You steer talk away from them. You worry someone’ll discover yours and tell the world. You think you are in charge of the secret, but isn’t it the secret who’s actually using you?

She was widely read enough to appreciate my literary wit but not so widely read that she knew my sources. I like that in a woman.

Write something every single day, even if it's just three lines. And it doesn't matter if it's any good - just write something every day.

Books don't offer real escape, but they can stop a mind scratching itself raw.

Whoever dies with the most stuff wins.