You don't learn to hold your own in the world by standing on guard, but by attacking, and getting well hammered yourself.

I have never admitted the right of an elderly author to alter the work of a young author, even when the young author happens to be his former self.

I wish people would stop talking about my birthday.

Some persons, by hating vice too much, come to love men too little. Hatred is self-punishment. Hatred is the cowards revenge for being intimidated.

If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.

I'm one of the undeserving poor: that's what I am. Think of what that means to a man. It means that he's up agen middle class morality all the time.... What is middle class morality? Just an excuse for never giving me anything.

You cannot have power for good without having power for evil too. Even mother's milk nourishes murderers as well as heroes.