Is the Archbishop's blessing any more meaningful than the Politician's handshake? The come, they go, with bigger things than us on their minds.

The function of football, soccer, basketball and other passion-sports in modern industrial society is the transference of boredom, frustration, anger and rage into socially acceptable forms of combat. A temporary substitute for war; for nationalism; identification with something bigger than the self.

There's nothing so obscene and depressing as an American Christmas.

Henry James was our master of periphrasis -- the fine art of saying as little as possible in the greatest number of words.

All governments need enemies. How else to justify their existence?

All serious writers want the obvious rewards: fame, money, women, love -- and most of all, an audience!

My sole literary ambition is to write one good novel, then retire to my hut in the desert, assume the lotus position, compose my mind and senses, and sink into meditation, contemplating my novel.