I was an omnivore at reading, so that everything I ever read contributed.

What is an evil man? The man is evil who coerces obedience to his private ends, destroys beauty, produces pain, extinguishes life.

Good music always defeats bad luck

Vance has a genius in evoking the beauty of strangeness, the strangeness of beauty.

The less a writer discusses his work and himself the better. The master chef slaughters no chickens in the dining room; the doctor writes prescriptions in Latin; the magician hides his hinges, mirrors, and trapdoors with the utmost care.

The universe is eight billion years old, the last two billion of which have produced intelligent life. During this time not one hour of absolute equity has prevailed.

In fact, almost every job you get somebody watching you.