“To be stupid, and selfish, and to have good health are the three requirements for happiness - though if stupidity is lacking, the others are useless.”

“Part of love is preparing for death. You feel confirmed in your love when she dies. You got it right. This is part of it all.”

“Often the grind of book promotion wearies you of your own book - though at the same time this frees you from its clutches.”

“The writer must be universal in sympathy and an outcast by nature: only then can he see clearly.”

“He feared me as many men fear women: because their mistresses (or their wives) understand them. They are scarcely adult, some men: they wish women to understand them, and to that end they te...”

“The best life for a writer is the life which helps him write the best books he can.”

“Everything in art depends on execution: the story of a louse can be as beautiful as the story of Alexander. You must write according to your feelings, be sure those feelings are true, and le...”

“Books say: She did this because. Life says: She did this. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things aren't. I'm not surprised some people prefer books. Books make sen...”