I guess I was raised in a household with a lot of reverence for the physical sanctity of books. You didn't destroy books.

It was so much easier to be angry. Being angry made him feel strong, even though-- and this contradiction did nothing to diminish his anger-- he was angry only because his position was so weak.

By now he had learned enough to know that when he was getting annoyed at somebody else, it was usually because there was something that he himself should be doing, and he wasn't doing it.

Maybe this was one of those times when being a hero didn’t involve looking particularly brave. It was just doing what you should.

It's a great thing when you feel that you recognize yourself, deeply and movingly, in a work of literature.

The real world is horrible.

More than fantasy or even science fiction, Ray Bradbury wrote horror, and like so many great horror writers he was himself utterly without fear, of anything. He wasn't afraid of looking uncool - he wasn't scared to openly love innocence, or to be optimistic, or to write sentimentally when he felt that way.