The only way to find out anything about what kinds of lives people led in any given period is to tunnel into their records and to let them speak for themselves

Women is fine once you got em pinned down, boss, but when they ain't pinned down they're hell.

I do a lot of revising. Certain chapters six or seven times. Occasionally you can hit it right the first time. More often, you don't.

A novel is a commodity that fulfills a certain need; people need to buy daydreams like they need to buy ice cream or aspirin or gin. They even need to buy a pinch of intellectual catnip now and then to liven up their thoughts.

But what's the good of freedom? What can you do with it? What one wants is to live well and have a beautiful house and be respected by people.

U.S.A. is the speech of the people

Remember that it's never a crime in the face of humanity and enlightenment to distribute the works of the great humanists among the merchants and moneychangers of this godforsaken country... You better slip me the dough.