The only thing I want is something I can't have; and that is to know if, 100 years from now, people will still buy my books.

Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires tolerate the disadvantages of their wealth.

It is always wiser, where there is a choice, to trust inertia. It is the greatest force in the world.

I understand the technique of eccentricity; it would be futile for a man to labor at establishing a reputation for oddity if he were ready at the slightest provocation to revert to normal action.

I try to know what I need to know. I make sure to know what I want to know. (Nero Wolfe)

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.

The fricassee with dumplings is made by a Mrs. Miller whose husband has left her four times on account of her disposition and returned four times on account of her cooking.