perfectionism is the enemy of art. Since art is essentially divine play, not dogged work, it often happens that as one becomes more professionally driven one also becomes less capriciously playful.

the body is wiser than its inhabitants. the body is the soul. the body is god’s messenger.

biography is essentially a collaborative art, the latest biographer collaborating with all those who wrote earlier.

What a damnably lonely profession writing is! In order to do it, one must banish the world, and having banished it, one feels cosmically alone.

This is the sad bed of chosen chastity because you are miles and mountains away.

People in the land of LaLa look like expensive wax fruit. And they work hard to achieve that look.

I knew I was in England by the smell.