It is no wonder that people are so horrible when they start life as children.

Now and then I become conscious of having the reputation of being one of the great drinkers, if not one of the great drunks, of our time.

How wrong people always were when they said: 'It's better to know the worst than go on not knowing either way.' No; they had it exactly the wrong way round. Tell me the truth, doctor, I'd sooner know. But only if the truth is what I want to hear.

A bad review may spoil your breakfast, but you shouldn't allow it to spoil your lunch.

Being American is, I think, a very difficult thing in art, because all the elements are European.

Twentieth century music is like paedophilia. No matter how persuasively and persistently its champions urge their cause, it will never be accepted by the public at large, who will continue to regard it with incomprehension, outrage and repugnance.

Politics is a thing that only the unsophisticated can really go for.