Oh, I’m not a Berkeleian. I believe my back’s against this wall. I believe there’s a sten gun over there.

All good novelists have bad memories. What you remember comes out as journalism; what you forget goes into the compost of the imagination.

The great advantage of being a writer is that you can spy on people. You're there, listening to every word, but part of you is observing. Everything is useful to a writer, you see - every scrap, even the longest and most boring of luncheon parties.

I've caught belief like a disease. I've fallen into belief like I fell in love.

Champagne, if you are seeking the truth, is better than a lie detector.

I get fed up with all this nonsense of ringing people up and lighting cigarettes and answering the doorbell that passes for action in so many modern plays.

American bankers believe in the personal touch; the teller conveys a sense that he happens to be there accidentally and he is overjoyed at the lucky chance of the encounter.