In the afternoon I watch the clouds drift past the bald peak of Mount Tukuhnikivats. (Someone has to do it.)

Every writer has his favorite coterie of enemies: Mine is the East Coast literati -- those prep school playmates and their Ivy League colleagues.

I am hopeful, though not full of hope, and the only reason I don't believe in happy endings is because I don't believe in endings.

All revolutions have failed? Perhaps. But rebellion for good cause is self- justifying -- a good in itself. Rebellion transforms slaves into human beings, if only for an hour.

Government should be weak, amateurish and ridiculous. At present, it fulfills only a third of the role.

In marriage, the occasional catastrophic crisis is easier to manage than the daily routine.

The very poor are strictly materialistic. It takes money to be a mystic.