All a writer has to do to get a woman is to say he's a writer. It's an aphrodisiac.

I've discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, 'To hell with you.'

We are always looking for the book it is necessary to read next.

I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about the journalists; we can only hope that they will die off as the deerflies do towards the end of August.

Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.

With a novelist, like a surgeon, you have to get a feeling that you've fallen into good hands - someone from whom you can accept the anesthetic with confidence.

Any artist should be grateful for a naive grace which puts him beyond the need to reason elaborately.