Why has the South produced so many good writers? Because we got beat.

It is not merely the truth of science that makes it beautiful, but its simplicity.

In a word, the consumer of mass culture is lonely, not only lonely, but spiritually impoverished.

I don't like to be described as a Southern writer. The danger is, if you're described as a Southern writer, you might be thought of as someone who writes about a picturesque local scene like Uncle Tom's Cabin, Gone With the Wind, something like that.

Lord, grant that my work increase knowledge and help other men. Failing that, Lord, grant that it will not lead to man’s destruction. Failing that, Lord, grant that my article in Brain be published before the destruction takes place.

Have you noticed that only in time of illness or disaster or death are people real?

Before, I wandered as a diversion. Now I wander seriously and sit and read as a diversion.