The only two kinds of books could earn an American writer a living are cookbooks and detective novels.

The requisitions of the income tax have added greatly to the attractions of mercenary crime.

Genius is fine for the ignition spark, but to get there someone has to see that the radiator doesn't leak and no tire is flat.

Measure your minds height by the shadow it casts.

Sometimes it's things that take the joy out of life, like a blowout when you're hitting sixty or a button coming off of a shirt when you're in a hurry, but usually it's people.

If I'm home with no chore at hand, and a package of books has come, the television set and the chess board and the unanswered mail will have to manage without me if one of the books is a detective story.

I don't approve of open fires. You can't think, or talk or even make love in front of a fireplace. All you can do is stare at it.