No one can write decently who is distrustful of the reader's intelligence or whose attitude is patronizing.

Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men.

When you say something, make sure you have said it. The chances of your having said it are only fair.

In a free country it is the duty of writers to pay no attention to duty.

All poets who, when reading from their own works,m experience a choked feeling, are major. For that matter, all poets who read from their own works are major, whether they choke or not.

The most puzzling thing about TV is the steady advance of the sponsor across the line that has always separated news from promotion, entertainment from merchandising. The advertiser has assumed the role of originator, and the performer has gradually been eased into the role of peddler.

In dialogue, make sure that your attributives do not awkwardly interrupt a spoken sentence. Place them where the breath would come naturally in speech-that is, where the speaker would pause for emphasis, or take a breath. The best test for locating an attributive is to speak the sentence aloud.