I do not believe writers should read reviews of their own books, and I do not. If one is not careful one is soon writing to please reviewers and not their audience or themselves.

Out here you better have a gun, and a gun in the wagon ain't good for nothin'. I believe what the old Quaker said, 'Trust in the Lord, but keep your powder dry.

Do you wish to learn? There are books that can teach you anything, and there is no cheaper form of education, nor one whose effects are more lasting. My education came from books, and they have been my companions by many campfires, in bunkhouses, ships' forecastles, in hotels and on planes. No matter where you find me, I am never far from a book.

No man ever raised a monument to a cynic or wrote a poem about a man without faith.

You stick your finger in the water and you pull it out, and that is how much of a hole you leave when you're gone.

But even the law cannot be in your bedroom at night.

If you want the law to leave you alone, keep your hair trimmed and your boots shined.