Great critics do not explicate a text; they describe it and then report on what they have described, if the description itself is not the criticism.

Nothing is durable, I think anybody who thinks sex is durable is going to have a lot of grief.

Most writers write books that they wouldn't read. I ought to know; I've done it myself.

Populists have never had a good press in Freedom's land.

I come from the highest class of all. I am a third-generation celebrity.

The American press exists for one purpose only, and that is to convince Americans that they are living in the greatest and most envied country in the history of the world. The Press tells the American people how awful every other country is and how wonderful the United States is and how evil communism is and how happy they should be to have freedom to buy seven different sorts of detergent.

It was a pity that movies and live TV left New York for Hollywood. London theater, movies, television - until (Britain's) money ran out - were always better than ours since the city was the political capital of the country, as well as the artistic and literary one. In L.A. we've always been slightly sealed off from real life. It's no accident that two of our most interesting directors, Woody Allen and Bob Altman, are more or less settled in the real world.