The trouble with an alarm clock is that what seems sensible when you set it seems absurd when it goes off

A character who is thought-out is not born, he or she is contrived. A born character is round, a thought-out character is flat.

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.

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

Labels are for the things men make, not for men. The most primitive man is too complex to be labeled.

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

You can't dance cheerfully. Dancing is too important. It can be wild or solemn or gay or lewd or art for art's sake, but it can't be cheerful.