Much of my writing has taken the form of a pilgrimage: to sacred places that represent the best of America, to musicians and other artists who represent the best of their art.

What I want to do is to make people laugh so that they'll see things seriously.

Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.

Don’t say you were a bit confused and sort of tired and a little depressed and somewhat annoyed. Be tired. Be confused. Be depressed. Be annoyed. Don’t hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident.

When you're ready to stop, stop. If you have presented all the facts and made the point you want to make, look for the nearest exit.

Today the outlandish becomes routine overnight. The humorist is trying to say that it's still outlandish.

Memoir isn't the summary of a life; it's a window into a life, very much like a photograph in its selective composition. It may look like a casual and even random calling up of bygone events. It's not; it's a deliberate construction.