And we all vied, in saving face, to be the greatest student of human nature, the person with the quickest sense of humor.

The secret to success in any human endeavor is total concentration.

There is a strong feeling in the Middle West that the artist is not pulling his own weight no matter how hard he may work, that the other people are doing the real stuff.

Praise or damn as you please, but do so rather flatly, pragmatically, with cunning attention to annoying or gratifying details. Be yourself. Be unique. Be a good editor. The Universe needs more good editors, God knows.

Here's what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial, about to face cold turkey.

I can have oodles of charm when I want to.

I have become an enthusiast for the printed word again. I have to be that, I now understand, because I want to be a character in all of my works. I can do that in print. In a movie, somehow, the author always vanishes.