He knew he would not be afraid. Even if he ever was afraid he knew that he could do it anyway.

Real seriousness in regard to writing being one of the two absolute necessities. The other, unfortunately, is talent.

You should only read what is truly good or what is frankly bad.

Love is infinitely more endurable than hate.

All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer.

As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary.

Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the Romance of the unusual.