That's what America's all about, man, if it's about anything. You can choose your own name.

My spirit life very much depends on my work. My work very much depends on my spirit life. And I pray every day, as part of my own ritual, to a god I believe in, not a god somebody else believes in.

That's what America's all about, man, if it's about anything. You can choose your own name.

If I had the money and the drinking capacity, I'd probably live at a roulette table and let my life go to hell.

An artist doesn't depend upon inspiration or have to have it. An artist doesn't depend on mood, certainly not if you're earning your living with it. One of the definitions of a professional is you can do some writing if you have to, even in the most extreme situations.

When the people clamor to be shielded from reality, when they praise their government for keeping things from them, when they choose to conduct their lives within the limits of whatever fantasy the government supplies, then they are no longer consenting to be governed, they are begging to be ruled.

There are writers I know and respect who are very good about what's outside, and not too hot about what's inside.