He did not say that because he knew that if you said a good thing it might not happen.

In order to be a great writer a person must have a built-in, shockproof crap detector.

In a power hungry, power worshipping society, men label themselves atheist.

Develop a built-in bullshit detector.

They say the seeds of what we will do are in all of us, but it always seemed to me that in those who make jokes in life the seeds are covered with better soil and with a higher grade of manure.

I always worked until I had something done and I always stopped when I knew what was going to happen next. That way I could be sure of going on the next day.

When I had finished the book I knew that no matter what Scott did, nor how he behaved, I must know it was like a sickness and be of any help I could to him and try to be a good friend. He had many good, good friends, more than anyone I knew. But I enlisted as one more, whether I could be of any use to him or not. If he could write a book as fine as The Great Gatsby I was sure that he could write an even better one. I did not know Zelda yet, and so I did not know the terrible odds that were against him. But we were to find them out soon enough.