Consistency is a virtue for trains: what we want from a philosopher is insights, whether he comes by them consistently or not.

You tell me your favorite novelists and I'll tell you whom you vote for, or whether you vote at all.

Perhaps in a book review it is not out of place to note that the safety of the state depends on cultivating the imagination.

As a rule, the most dangerous ideas are not the ones that divide people but those on which they agree.

The only virtue a character needs to possess between hardcovers, even if he bears a real person's name, is vitality: if he comes to life in our imaginations, he passes the test.

Whenever you hear the word "inevitable", watch out! An enemy of humanity has identified himself.

Most bad books get that way because their authors are engaged in trying to justify themselves. If a vain author is an alcoholic, then the most sympathetically portrayed character in his book will be an alcoholic. This sort of thing is very boring for outsiders.