The first is that good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals (vocabulary, grammar, the elements of style) and then filling the third level of your toolbox with the right instruments. The second is that while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one

This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.

Weird love's better than no love at all.

Doubters will doubt to the end.

never's the word God listens for when he needs a laugh.

Time was a face on the water, and like the great river before them, it did nothing but flow.

And will I tell you that these three lived happily ever after? I will not, for no one ever does. But there was happiness. And they did live.