So who's perfect? ... Washington had false teeth. Franklin was nearsighted. Mussolini had syphilis. Unpleasant things have been said about Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde. Tchaikovsky had his problems, too. And Lincoln was constipated.

They say great themes make great novels. but what these young writers don't understand is that there is no greater theme than men and women.

So who's perfect? ... Washington had false teeth. Franklin was nearsighted. Mussolini had syphilis. Unpleasant things have been said about Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde. Tchaikovsky had his problems, too. And Lincoln was constipated.

The trouble is people leave too much to luck. They get married and then trust to luck. They should be sure in the first place.

Much as I like owning a Rolls-Royce, I could do without it. What I could not do without is a typewriter, a supply of yellow second sheets and the time to put them to good use.

Becoming the reader is the essence of becoming a writer.

Illinois is a state of suspended animation and the people live in hibernation from Oct. to whenever it ever gets warmer.