Three hours of writing require twenty hours of preparation. Luckily I have learned to dream about the work, which saves me some working time.

And her joy was nearly like sorrow.

I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with the crime guilt- and there is the story of mankind.

Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America.

...Samuel rode lightly on top of a book and he balanced happily among ideas the way a man rides white rapids in a canoe. But Tom got into a book, crawled and groveled between the covers, tunneled like a mole among the thoughts, and came up with the book all over his face and hands.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another-but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Only mediocrity escapes criticism.