But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed - because 'Thou mayest.

An unbelieved truth can hurt a man much more than a lie. It takes great courage to back truth unacceptable to our times. There's a punishment for it, and it's usually crucifixion.

We only have one story. All novels, all poetry are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil.

The story [Henny-Penny] has the best opening in all literature-"The sky is falling," cried Henny-Penny, "and a piece of it fell on my tail.

Misfortune is a fact of nature acceptable to women, especially when it falls on other women.

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.

I like a lot of talk in a book and I don't like to have nobody tell me what the guy that's talking looks like. I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks.