I think that art has something to do with an arrest of attention in the midst of distraction.

To tell the truth I never had it so good. But I lacked the strength of character to bear such joy.

Some people, if they didn't make it hard for themselves, might fall asleep.

The best argument is an undeniably good book.

It's not up to me ... to make the world consistent.

I blame myself for not often enough seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary. Somewhere in his journals, Dostoyevky remarks that a writer can begin anywhere, at the most commonplace thing, scratch around in it long enough, pry and dig away long enough, and lo!, soon he will hit upon the marvelous.

It's no disgrace to be a private, you know. Socrates was a plain foot soldier, a hoplite.