Some people are molded by their admirations, others by their hostilities.

... artists were intended to be an ornament to society. As a society in themselves they are unthinkable.

One can suffer a convulsion of one's entire nature, and, unless it makes some noise, no one notices. It's not just that we are incurious; we completely lack any sense of each other's existences.

The importance to the writer of first writing must be out of all proportion of the actual value of what is written.

Bring all your intelligence to bear on your beginning.

Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must have.

in my experience one thing you don't learn from is anything anyone set up to be a lesson; what you are to know you pick up as you go along.