If you have to pay the bills, and you write something you're not proud of, use a pen-name for that.

In a book, even the real bastards can't hurt you. And you can never loose a friend you make in a book. When you get to a sad part, no one's there to see you cry. Or wonder why you don't cry when you should.

I realized you might make money at writing, and you might even make a living at it. So after that I didn't write stories just for the class but wrote them for the purpose of submitting them somewhere, and at some point in the process, I began writing them just to please myself and that's where you begin to see the real value of a life of writing.

One of the greatest sorrows of human existence is that some people aren't happy merely to be alive but find their happiness only in the misery of others.

I really believe that everyone has a talent, ability, or skill that he can mine to support himself and to succeed in life.

These days, people spent too much time striving to understand their feelings - and then ended up with none that were genuine.

I am sustained by the certainty that life has meaning...as does death.