It is a language which is being molded by writers to do delicate things and yet be in the grasp of superficially educated people.

Good critical writing is measured by the perception and evaluation of the subject; bad critical writing by the necessity of maintaining the professional standing of the critic.

I belonged in Idle Valley like a pearl onion on a banana split.

Let us never accept the point of view that mysteries are written by hacks. The poorest of us shed our blood over every chapter. The best of us start from scratch with every new book.

The impulse to perfection cannot exist where the definition of perfection is the arbitrary decision of authority. That which is born in loneliness and from the heart cannot be defended against the judgment of a committee of sycophants. The volatile essences which make literature cannot survive the clichés of a long series of story conferences.

The English may not always be the best writers in the world, but they are incomparably the best dull writers.

The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the single most valuable investment a writer can make with his time.