Genius gives birth, talent delivers. What Rembrandt or Van Gogh saw in the night can never be seen again. Born writers of the future are amazed already at what they're seeing now, what we'll all see in time for the first time, and then see imitated many times by made writers.

Ah Japhy you taught me the final lesson of them all, you can't fall off a mountain.

We lay on our backs looking at the ceiling and wondering what God had wrought when he made life so sad and disinclined.

A man who allows wild passion to arise within, himself burns his heart, then after burning adds the wind that thereto which ignites the fire again, or not, as the case may be.

...most of the time we were alone and mixing up our souls ever more and ever more till it would be terribly hard to say good-by.

The yard was full of tomato plants about to ripen, and mint, mint, everything smelling of mint, and one fine old tree that I loved to sit under on those cool perfect starry California October nights unmatched anywhere in the world.

my karma was to be born in America where nobody has any fun or believes in anything, especially freedom.