...when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist.

That's the secret of how to enjoy writing and how to make yourself meet high standards," said Mrs. Berman. "You don't write for the whole world, and you don't write for ten people, or two. You write for just one person.

The best jokes are dangerous, and dangerous because they are in some way truthful.

People stopped calling themselves Freethinkers because it was so specifically German and anything German was terribly unpopular because of the two world wars. My family became Unitarians instead - it's the same sort of thing.

What has been America's most nurturing contribution to the culture of this planet so far? Many would say jazz. I, who love jazz, will say this instead: Alcoholics Anonymous.

One of [ways being lucky] was to go to school during the Great Depression because teaching became a plum job.

It's a nice glass of champagne at the end of a life.