Thinking is hard work, which is why you don't see many people doing it.

Pay enough for anything and it passes for taste.

You can't make anyone love you and you can't stop anyone from dying.

Lying contains the same hostile elements as a practical joke in that the 'victim' ends up looking foolish in his own eyes and laughable in everyone else's.

It's disconcerting to realize how little you have to say to someone who once occupied such a prominent place in your bed.

My father taught me to love detective fiction writers such as Raymond Chandler. When I decided to have a hard-boiled detective series I did a lot of studying before I wrote the first book. I learned police procedure, the California criminal law, and many areas outside my expertise.

The critical lessons in life hold sway whether you like it or not.