Whisky, I find, helps clarity of thought. And reduces pain. It has the additional virtue of making you drunk or, if taken in sufficient quantity, very drunk.

The greatest patriotism is to tell your country when it is behaving dishonorably, foolishly, viciously.

You grew old first not in your own eyes, but in other people's eyes; then, slowly, you agreed with their opinion of you.

If a man cannot tell what he wants to do, then he must find out what he ought to do. If desire has become complicated, then hold fast to duty.

If the writer were more like a reader, he’d be a reader, not a writer. It’s as uncomplicated as that.

I had wanted life not to bother me too much, and had succeeded - and how pitiful that was.

To own a certain book - and to choose it without help - is to define yourself.