I'll give you the sole secret of short-story writing, and here it is: Rule 1. Write stories that please yourself. There is no rule 2. The technical points you can get from Bliss Perry. If you can't write a story that pleases yourself, you will never please the public. But in writing the story forget the public.

Turn up the lights. I don't want to go home in the dark.

Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

We can't buy one minute of time with cash; if we could, rich people would live longer.

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.

It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are.

Humans were denied the speech of animals. The only common ground of communication upon which dogs and men can get together is in fiction.