An average English word is four letters and a half. By hard, honest labor I've dug all the large words out of my vocabulary and shaved it down till the average is three and a half... I never write metropolis for seven cents, because I can get the same money for city. I never write policeman, because I can get the same price for cop.... I never write valetudinarian at all, for not even hunger and wretchedness can humble me to the point where I will do a word like that for seven cents; I wouldn't do it for fifteen.

In America-as elsewhere-free speech is confined to the dead.

It is impossible that a genius - at least a literary genius - can ever be discovered by his intimates; they are so close to him that he is out of focus to them and they can't get at his proportions; they can't perceive that there is any considerable difference between his bulk and their own.

I found out that I was a Christian for revenue only and I could not bear the thought of that, it was so ignoble.

You need not expect to get your book right the first time.

How unfortunate and how narrowing a thing it is for a man to have wealth who makes a god of it instead of a servant

I'm all for prosperity. It's change I object to.