But, for instance, when I was awfully young, I read all the Oz books. They were an enormous influence on me.

Why make plans? The sun might well go out tomorrow.

Notice this rent in my garment; I am at a loss to explain its presence! I am even more puzzled by the existence of the universe.

I do not care to listen; obloquy injures my self-esteem and I am skeptical of praise.

I worked for half a cent a word. I'm not a fast writer to begin with, so for the first few years I had do other things.

But I'm so slow on it because I find it terribly hard writing blind on computers. The computer speaks to me, but it's just so slow, I'm so terribly slow using it.

Conversation! Supple sentences, with first and second meanings and overtones beyond, outrageous challenges with cleverly planned slip-points, rebuttals of elegant brevity; deceptions and guiles, patient explanations of the obvious, fleeting allusions to the unthinkable. As a preliminary, the conversationalist must gauge the mood, the intelligence and the verbal facility of the company. To this end, a few words of pedantic exposition often prove invaluable.