We...believe that art is religious, because it is one of man's highest aspirations. There is no such thing as pagan art, only good and bad art.

The maximum value of art is that it allows the artist to express himself.

Loneliness is a kind of prison. [Vincent Van Gogh]

Art is amoral; so is life. For me there are no obscene pictures or books; there are only poorly conceived and poorly executed ones.

To try to understand another human being, to grapple for his ultimate depths, that is the most dangerous of human endeavors.

I spend several years trying to get inside the brain and heart of my subjects, listening to the interior monologues in their letters, and when I have to bridge the chasms between the factual evidence, I try to make an intuitive leap through the eyes and motivation of the person I'm writing about.

All artists are crackpots. And it's their finest feature.