A poet dares be just so clear and no clearer... He unzips the veil from beauty, but does not remove it. A poet utterly clear is a trifle glaring.

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.

Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They'll believe anything they see in print.

I have one share in corporate Earth, and I am nervous about the management.

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

The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.

Who can confidently say what ignites a certain combination of words, causing them to explode in the mind? Who knows why certain notes in music are capable of stirring the listener deeply, though the same notes slightly rearranged are impotent? These are high mysteries, and this chapter is a mystery story, thinly disguised.