World War II, the atomic bomb, the Cold War, made it hard for Americans to continue their optimism.

Writing is not the easiest way to make a living. Your work long hours, usually all by yourself. It is not a way to make money.

The number one secret of being a successful writer is this: marry an English major.

I thought Nixon was the worst President we had ever had, save only perhaps Andrew Johnson.

Friends never cheat on each other, or take advantage, or lie. Friends do not spy on one another, yet they have no secrets. Friends glory in each other's successes and are downcast by the failures. Friends minister to each other, nurse each other. Friends give to each other, worry about each other, stand always ready to help. Perfect friendship is rarely achieved, but at its height it is an ecstasy.

Neighbors are far better acoustic analyzers for determining the quality of their life versus any acoustic instrument left unattended by an expert.

When Hitler declared war on the United States, he was betting that German soldiers, raised up in the Hitler Youth, would always out fight American soldiers, brought up in the Boy Scouts. He lost that bet. The Boy Scouts had been taught how to figure their way out of their own problems.