She had had her momentary flowering, a year, perhaps, of wildrose beauty, and then she had suddenly swollen like a fertilized fruit and grown hard and red and coarse, and then her life had been laundering, scrubbing, laundering, first for children, then for grandchildren, over thirty years. At the end of it she was still singing.

Every Joke is a Tiny Revolution

There are some things only intellectuals are crazy enough to believe.

The slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.

The urge to shout filthy words at the top of his voice was as strong as ever.

If there really is such a thing as turning in one's grave, Shakespeare must get a lot of exercise.

Good novels are not written by orthodoxy-sniffers, nor by people who are conscience-stricken about their own orthodoxy. Good novels are written by people who are not frightened.