I always carry a pistol when I go [to the New York Public Library]. Never did trust those stone lions.

We're all not quite as sane as we pretend to be.

I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf.

Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk.

The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on.

So much for modern science and its wonderful discoveries that just about everything can kill you. Life is only a bedtime story before a long, long sleep.

Henderson sighed. There was a time, he reflected, when the coming of this night meant something. A dark Europe, groaning in superstitious fear, dedicated this Eve to the grinning Unknown. A million doors had once been barred against the evil visitants, a million prayers mumbled, a million candles lit. There was something majestic about the idea, Henderson reflected.