Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation. Affectation itself, beginning with the need to define some sorts of writing as 'good' and other sorts as 'bad' is fearful behavior.

I believe most people are essentially good. I know that I am. It's you I'm not entirely sure of.

Fault always lies in the same place: with him weak enough to lay blame.

It's a hard life if you don't weaken.

A writer's notebook is the best way in the world to immortalize bad ideas. My idea about a good idea is one that sticks around and sticks around and sticks around.

Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones.

Even at eleven, he had observed that things turned out right a ridiculous amount of the time.