You do not really wish to hear more of the Battle of Kadesh. Let me say only that human fat, gorged in considerable quantity, has an intoxicating effect. I became ... drunk.

Writing for a newspaper is like running a revolutionary war. You go to battle not when you are ready, but when action offers itself.

Every one of my books had killed me a little more.

I don't want to retire. I'm not that good at crossword puzzles

There are two kinds of brave men: those who are brave by the grace of nature, and those who are brave by an act of will.

Fascism is more of a natural state than democracy. To assume blithely that we can export democracy into any country we choose can serve paradoxically to encourage more fascism at home and abroad. Democracy is a state of grace that is attained only by those countries who have a host of individuals not only ready to enjoy freedom but to undergo the heavy labor of maintaining it.

When a novel comes, it's a grace. Something in the cosmos has forgiven you long enough so that you can start.