Scenery can be a violent stimulant.

Nothing fails like failure

I'd rather be at the end of a dying tradition, which I admire, than at the beginning of a tradition which I deplore.

When nothing is sure, everything is possible.

There would be more genuine rejoicing at the discovery of a complete new novel by Jane Austen than any other literary discovery, short of a new major play by Shakespeare.

I confidently predict the collapse of capitalism and the beginning of history. Something will go wrong in the machinery that converts money into money, the banking system will collapse totally, and we will be left having to barter to stay alive. Those who can dig in their garden will have a better chance than the rest. I'll be all right; I've got a few veg.

The women are always vixens or monsters. They can't just be normal people in the book.