Discount my partiality, but my report is that so far The Winds of War is looking good.

The Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots. If you are not an idiot, but find yourself in the Navy, you can only operate well by pretending to be one. All the shortcuts and economies and common-sense changes that your native intelligence suggests to you are mistakes. Learn to quash them. Constantly ask yourself, "How would I do this if I were a fool?" Throttle down your mind to a crawl. Then you will never go wrong.

When in trouble or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.

A leader can't dash ahead around the bend out of sight.

I regard the writing of humor as a supreme artistic challenge.

The Talmud is to this day the circulating heart's blood of the Jewish religion. Whatever laws, customs or ceremonies we observe-whether we are orthodox, conservative, reform or merely spasmodic sentimentalists-we follow the Talmud. It is our common Law.

I try to write a certain amount each day, five days a week. A rule sometimes broken is better than no rule.