In every queen there's a touch of floozy.

Sometimes a writer, like an acrobat, must try a trick that is too much for him.

If a man is to be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most.

Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, they inform and shape life.

The essayist . . . can pull on any sort of shirt, be any sort of person, according to his mood or his subject matter - philosopher, scold, jester, raconteur, confidant, pundit, devil's advocate, enthusiast.

The living language is like a cowpath: it is the creation of the cows themselves, who, having created it, follow it or depart from it according to their whims or their needs. From daily use, the path undergoes change. A cow is under no obligation to stay

There is nothing more likely to start disagreement among people or countries than an agreement.