There is such a thing as too much couth.

Do you know anything at all that nobody else knows or, for that matter, gives a damn about? If you do, then sit tight, because one of these days you're going to Hollywood as a technical supervisor on a million dollar movie.

I'll dispose of my teeth as I see fit, and after they've gone, I'll get along. I started off living on gruel, and by God, I can always go back to it again.

This medal (the National Book Award) together with my American Express card, will identify me worldwide ... except at Bloomingdale's.

The fact is that all of us have only one personality, and we wring it out like a dishtowel. You are what you are.

The dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he’s given the freedom to starve anywhere.

I tried to resist his overtures, but he plied me with symphonies, quartets, chamber music, and cantatas.