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.

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

By the age of eighteen, a human has acquired enough joy and heartache to provide the food of reflection for a century.

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

Balance, that's the secret. Moderate extremism. The best of both worlds.

Anarchism is democracy taken seriously.

Why the critics, like a flock of ducks, always move in perfect unison: Their authority with the public depends upon an appearance of unanimous agreement. One dissenting voice would shatter the whole fragile structure.