As in my other works of fiction: All persons living and dead are purely coincidental, and should not be construed. No names have been changed to protect the innocent. Angels protect the innocent as a matter of Heavenly routine.

I didn't know then what a sperm was, and so wouldn't understand his answer for several years. "My boy," he said, "you are descended from a long line of determined, resourceful, microscopic tadpoles-- champions every one.

Suicide is the punctuation mark at the end of many artistic careers

My special situation was that I was the son and grandson of architects. And so I saw building. We were building the city, and that was exciting.

People like to feel entitled, whether they're actually entitled or not.

I had taught myself that a human being might as well look for diamond tiaras in the gutter as for rewards and punishments that were fair.

War is now a form of TV entertainment, and what made the First World War so particularly entertaining were two American inventions, barbed wire and the machine gun.