We judge individual man and women as we do nations and races -- by the character of their achievement and by their achievement of character.

Cold morning on Aztec Peak Fire Lookout. First, build fire in old stove. Second, start coffee. Then, heat up last night's pork chops and spinach for breakfast. Why not? And why the hell not?

Capitalism: Nothing so mean could be right. Greed is the ugliest of the capital sins.

Literary critics, like a herd of cows or a school of fish, always face in the same direction, obeying that love for unity that every critic requires.

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

You cannot reshape human nature without mutilating human beings.

Without courage, all other virtues are useless.