When the biggest, richest, glassiest buildings in town are the banks, you know that town's in trouble.

Running the big rapids is like sex: half the fun lies in the anticipation. Two thirds of the thrill with the approach. The remainder is only ecstasy-or darkness.

The dog's life is a good life, for a dog.

The critics say that Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony has no form. They are wrong; it has the form of Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony.

A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.

Jane Austen: Getting into her books is like getting in bed with a cadaver. Something vital is lacking; namely, life.

Beware the writer who always encloses the word *reality* in quotation marks: He's trying to slip something over on you. Or into you.