Many of the insights of the saint stem from his experience as a sinner.

It is a talent of the weak to persuade themselves that they suffer for something when they suffer from something; that they are showing the way when they are running away; that they see the light when they feel the heat; that they are chosen when they are shunned.

The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others.

The compulsion to take ourselves seriously is in inverse proportion to our creative capacity. When the creative flow dries up, all we have left is our importance.

Glory is largely a theatrical concept. There is no striving for glory without a vivid awareness of an audience.

My writing is done in railroad yards while waiting for a freight, in the fields while waiting for a truck, and at noon after lunch. Towns are too distracting.

Charlatanism of some degree is indispensable to effective leadership.