The book really comes to life in the rewriting.

Is an intelligent human being likely to be much more than a large-scale manufacturer of misunderstanding?

I write fiction and I'm told it's autobiography, I write autobiography and I'm told it's fiction, so since I'm so dim and they're so smart, let them decide what it is or it isn't.

There’s no remaking reality... Just take it as it comes. Hold your ground and take it as it comes. There’s no other way.

For discipline is imposed not just on oneself but on those in one's orbit.

There were many hours when I never quite know how I'd gotten there or why I stayed.

People are unjust to anger - it can be enlivening and a lot of fun.