In the greatest fiction, the writer's moral sense coincides with his dramatic sense, and I see no way for it to do this unless his moral judgement is part of the very act of seeing, and he is free to use it. I have heard it said that belief in Christian dogma is a hindrance to the writer, but I myself have found nothing further from the truth. Actually, it frees the storyteller to observe. It is not a set of rules which fixes what he sees in the world. It affects his writing primarily by guaranteeing his respect for mystery.

The old woman was the kind who would not cut down a large old tree because it was a large old tree.

I don't deserve any credit for turning the other cheek as my tongue is always in it.

Only if we are secure in our beliefs can we see the comical side of the universe.

The Bible was the only book he read. He didn't read it often but when he did he wore his mother's glasses. They tired his eyes so that after a short time he was always obliged to stop.

Children know by instinct that hell is an absence of love, and they can pick out theirs without missing.

Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay.