A dirty joke is not, of course, a serious attack on morality, but it is a sort of mental rebellion, a momentary wish that things were otherwise.

Tea is one of the main stays of civilization in this country.

Most people approve of capital punishment, but most people wouldn't do the hangman's job.

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.

If I had understood the situation a bit better I should probably have joined the Anarchists.

The idea really came to me the day I got my new false teeth.

I did try very hard to tell the whole truth without violating my literary instincts.