You cannot write on the heart of another what you do not feel yourself.

It really seems as if failure and hardship make more of a human being of folks than success.

You cannot write on the heart of another what you do not feel yourself.

To my way of thinking and working, the greatest service a piece of fiction can do any reader is to leave him with a higher ideal of life than he had when he began. If in one small degree it shows him where he can be...gentler, saner, cleaner, kindlier...it is a wonder-working book. If it opens his eyes to one beauty in nature he never saw for himself and leads him one step toward the God of the Universe, it is a beneficial book.

Be sure that you are right; and then go ahead.

One feature about Los Angeles that I particularly love is the chance for association with all kinds of creative artists, a thing I never before have had. I certainly do love a number of the writers, the painters, the musicians, and the sculptors that I meet here. ... Next to the sunshine, I appreciate it the most of anything in California.

Tears were a blessing; they were a relief; they did wash the ache from the heart, ease brain strain, and encourage the soul.