Who on earth invented the silly convention that it is boring or impolite to talk shop? Nothing is more interesting to listen to, especially if the shop is not one's own.

It's frightfully important for a writer to be his age, not to be younger or older than he is. One might ask, "What should I write at the age of sixty-four," but never, "What should I write in 1940."

Recipe for the upbringing of a poet: 'As much neurosis as the child can bear.

No being can make another one happy.

A poet must never make a statement simply because it is sounds poetically exciting; he must also believe it to be true.

There are not many English novels which deserve to be called great: Parade's End is one of them.

Composing mortals with immortal fire.