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.

We now have a whole culture based on the assumption that people know nothing and so anything can be said to them.

Consistency is a virtue for trains.

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

Great writers are not those who tell us we shouldn’t play with fire, but those who make our fingers burn.

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

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.