I made a tentative conclusion. It seemed from all of this that uppermost among human joys is the negative one of restoration: not going to the stars, but learning that one may stay where one is.

The writer can only explore the inner space of his characters by perceptively navigating his own.

Marriage has driven more than one man to sex.

Try the Lamentations of Jeremiah. They always pick me up.

I am not impressed by the Ivy League establishments. Of course they graduate the best -- it's all they'll take, leaving to others the problem of educating the country. They will give you an education the way the banks will give you money -- provided you can prove to their satisfaction that you don't need it.

I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.

We know the human brain is a device to keep the ears from grating on one another.