I had discovered that a person does not have to be this or be that or be anything, not even oneself. One is free.

As for hobbies, people with stimulating hobbies suffer from the most noxious of despairs since they are tranquilized in their despair.

I am not ashamed to use the word class. I will also plead guilty to another charge. The charge is that people belonging to my class think they're better than other people. You're damn right we're better. We're better because we do not shirk our obligations either to ourselves or to others. . . .we live by our lights, we die by our lights, and whoever the high gods may be, we'll look them in the eye without apology.

There is no pain on this earth like seeing the same woman look at another man the way she once looked at you.

In this world goodness is destined to be defeated. But a man must go down fighting. That is the victory. To do anything less is to be less than a man.

Bad books always lie. They lie most of all about the human condition.

A novel is what you call something that won't sell if you call it poems or short stories.