Every sentence must do one of two things-reveal character or advance the action.

Just because you can read, write and do a little math, doesn't mean that you're entitled to conquer the universe.

I wish you'd help me look into a more interesting problem - namely, my sanity.

I think it can be tremendously refreshing if a creator of literature has something on his mind other than the history of literature so far. Literature should not disappear up its own asshole, so to speak.

A book is an arrangement of twenty-six phonetic symbols, ten numerals, and about eight punctuation marks, and people can cast their eyes over these and envision the eruption of Mount Vesuvius or the Battle of Waterloo.

See the cat? See the cradle?

How’s the patient?” asked Derby. “Dead to the world.” “But not actually dead.” “No.” “How nice - to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.