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

Our secret thoughts - do they ever show up? The small flame of our soul can be burning hot, but no one comes to its warmth. Passersby see only a small whiff going through the chimney. Don't we need to take care of that flame, cherish it and patiently wait until someone will come and sit at it, do we?

Reading is a stout-hearted activity, disporting courage, keenness, stick-to-it-ness. It is also, in my experience, one of the most thrilling and enduring delights of life, equal to a home run, a slam-dunk, or breaking the four-minute mile.

There is no thrill of mortal danger to surpass that of a lone man trying to create something that never existed before.

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

Bleed me of art, and there won't be enough liquid left in me to spit! [Michelangelo Buonorotti]

Sometimes men are generous and forgiving, sometimes angry and blind.