Nobody who's really using his ego, his real ego, has any time for any goddam hobbies

You think of the book you'd most like to be reading, and then you sit down and shamelessly write it.

I just never felt so fantastically rocky in my entire life.

You never even worried, with Jane, whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were happy. You really were.

In my mind, I'm probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw.

I mean it's very hard to meditate and live a spiritual life in America. People think you're a freak if you try to.

Listen," he said. "If you was a fish, Mother Nature'd take care of you, wouldn't she? Right? You don't think them fish just die when it gets to be winter, do ya?" No, but--" You're goddam right they don't