Only one marriage I regret. I remember after I got that marriage license I went across from the license bureau to a bar for a drink. The bartender said, "What will you have, sir?" And I said, "A glass of hemlock."

I know the night is not the same as the day: that all things are different, that the things of the night cannot be explained in the day, because they do not then exist, and the night can be a dreadful time for lonely people once their loneliness has started.

Your blood coagulates beautifully.

Don't do what you sincerely don't want to do. Never confuse movement with action.

You ought to be ironical the minute you get out of bed. You ought to wake up with your mouth full of pity.

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you so try to remember it.

There is a mystery in all great writing and that mystery does not dissect out. It continues and is always valid.