No one can write a best seller by trying to. He must write with complete sincerity; the clichés that make you laugh, the hackneyed characters, the well-worn situations, the commonplace story that excites your derision, seem neither hackneyed, well worn nor commonplace to him. ... The conclusion is obvious: you cannot write anything that will convince unless you are yourself convinced. The best seller sells because he writes with his heart's blood.

I prefer a loose woman to a selfish one and a wanton to a fool.

From the earliest time the old have rubbed it into the young that they are wiser, and before the young had discovered what nonsense this was they were old too, and it profited them to carry on the imposture.

No egoism is so insufferable as that of the Christian with regard to his soul.

Marriage is a very good thing, but I think it's a mistake to make a habit out of it.

A man ought to work. That's what he's here for. That's how he contributes to the welfare of the community.

The prestige you acquire by being able to tell your friends that you know famous men proves only that you are yourself of small account.