Pleasant things to hear, though hearing them from him embarrasses me. I soak up the praise but feel obliged to disparage the gift. I believe that most people have some degree of talent for something--forms, colors, words, sounds. Talent lies around in us like kindling waiting for a match, but some people, just as gifted as others, are less lucky. Fate never drops a match on them. The times are wrong, or their health is poor, or their energy low, or their obligations too many. Something.

Every time. You know why? I want to fail. I work like a dog for twenty years so I'll have the supreme pleasure of failing. Never knew anybody like that, did you? I'm very cunning. I plan it in advance. I fool myself right up to the last minute, and then the time comes and I know how cunningly I've been planning it all the time. I've been a failure all my life.

There it was, there it is, the place where during the best time of our lives friendship had its home and happiness its headquarters.

it is an easy mistake to think that non-talkers are non-feelers.

Are writers reporters, prophets, crazies, entertainers, preachers, judges, what?

A teacher enlarges people in all sorts of ways besides just his subject matter.

We were going to leave a mark on the world but instead the world left marks on us.