A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean question: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well - or ill?

We spend our time searching for security and hate it when we get it.

You must not forget that a monster is only a variation, and that to a monster the norm is monstrous.

Many are the stories I have heard about myself. I have mistresses I have never met. When I hear that I am a sodomist and a zoophalist then I shall know that I have reached the high point of fame, but I suppose I can hardly expect such exaltation for many years.

Fearful and unprepared, we have assumed lordship over the life or death of the whole world, of all living things.

The basic rule [of writing] given us was simple and heartbreaking. A story to be effective had to convey something from the writer to the reader, and the power of its offering was the measure of its excellence. Outside of that, there were no rules.

There's nothing in the world like that first taste of beer.