There is no shortcut to life. To the end of our days, life is a lesson imperfectly learned.

The newspaper is a marvelous medium. It is extraordinarily convenient and cheap. Let's see. This one cost 75 cents. Now that's a little high. I bought it when I was downtown this morning.

I got a cable from New York saying that what I'd written about the growth of Soviet agricultural production didn't make sense because the same levels were reached under the czars. I wanted to confirm it, but by then the censors were on to me.

I think that it is a great achievement to put a person on the moon. But to put a person on the earth-that is even more.

My favorite word is 'pumpkin.' You can't take it seriously. But you can't ignore it, either. It takes ahold of your head and that's it. You are a pumpkin. Or you are not. I am.

Life within the Kremlin was shrouded in impenetrable secrecy.

I wouldn't write any kind of book without a contract and an advance. You can't invest that amount of time and effort without one.