The operation of the Church is entirely set up for the sinner; which creates much misunderstanding among the smug.” (August 9, 1955)

It began to drizzle rain and he turned on the windshield wipers; they made a great clatter like two idiots clapping in church.

Faith has to take in all the other possibilities it can.

There won't be any biographies of me because, for only one reason, lives spent between the house and the chicken yard do not make exciting copy.

You will have found Christ when you are concerned with other people’s sufferings and not your own.

Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay. I'm always irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality and it's very shocking to the system.

When there is a tendency to compartmentalize the spiritual and make it resident in a certain type of life only, the spiritual is apt gradually to be lost.