There was always another side to a joke, the side of the victim.

Cruel men cry easily at the cinema.

If I had to choose between life in the Soviet Union and life in the U. S. A. , I would certainly choose the Soviet Union.

The next best thing to talking to her is talking about her.

To comfort me is like the wrong memory at the wrong place or time: if one is lonely one prefers discomfort.

Nobody thinks in terms of human beings. Governments don't, why should we? They talk about people and the proletariat; I talk about the suckers and the mugs. It's the same thing.

One never knows enough about characters in real life to put them into novels. One gets started and then, suddenly, one can not remember what toothpaste they use; what are their views on interior decoration, and one is stuck utterly. No, major characters emerge; minor ones may be photographed.