I ordinarily smoke fifteen cigars during my five hours' labours, and if my interest reaches the enthusiastic point, I smoke more. I smoke with all my might, and allow no intervals.

Begin with the determination to succeed and the work is half done already.

I have witnessed and greatly enjoyed the first act of everything which Wagner created, but the effect on me has always been so powerful that one act was quite sufficient; whenever I have witnessed two acts I have gone away physically exhausted; and whenever I have ventured an entire opera the result has been the next thing to suicide.

Every man has a secret ambition: To outsmart horses, fish and women.

We called him Barney for short. We couldn't use his real name, there wasn't time.

Often the surest way to convey misinformation is to tell the strict truth.

the more I know about people, the better I like my dogs.