The terror of the atom age is not the violence of the new power but the speed of man's adjustment to it, the speed of his acceptance.

I have occasionally had the exquisite thrill of putting my finger on a little capsule of truth, and heard it give the faint squeak of mortality under my pressure.

It can destroy an individual, or it can fulfill him, depending a good deal on luck. No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky.

The young writer should learn to spot them: words that at first glance seem freighted with delicious meaning, but that soon burst in the air, leaving nothing but a memory of bright sound.

I don't understand it, and I don't like what I don't understand.

English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education - sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street.

I have a spaniel that defrocked a nun last week. He took hold of the cord. I had hold of the leash. It was like elephants holding tails. Imagine me undressing a nun, even second hand.