All language begins with speech, and the speech of common men at that, but when it develops to the point of becoming a literary medium it only looks like speech.

There is no bad whiskey. There are only some whiskeys that aren't as good as others.

California, the department store state.

The actual writing is what you live for. The rest is something you have to get through in order to arrive at the point.

I was neat, clean, shaved and sober and I didn't care who knew it.

I've found that there are only two kinds that are any good: slang that has established itself in the language, and slang that you make up yourself. Everything else is apt to be passe before it gets into print.

He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.