"Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little away from his need or desire to write at all. In the end he knows all the tricks and has nothing to say."

"Chess is the most elaborate waste of human intelligence outside of an advertising agency."

"He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food."

"Most critical writing is drivel and half of it is dishonest. It is a short cut to oblivion, anyway. Thinking in terms of ideas destroys the power to think in terms of emotions and sensations."

"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles."

"I don't have this fantasy about marriage anymore. Everyone says it takes hard work. Well, it kind of does - and I'm much more pragmatic about romance than I used to be."

"An artist needn't be a clergyman or a churchwarden, but he certainly must have a warm heart for his fellow men."

"When I started learning the cello, I fell in love with the instrument because it seemed like a voice - my voice."