Guilty she might be. But what human being was not? There were things in her past she needn't be ashamed of, things to be proud of; she wouldn't surrender so meekly to a condemning judgment.

Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.

The first treasure California began to surrender after the Gold Rush as the oldest: her land.

We are all dying of life.

Spend as much time as you can with your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open.

Be persistent. Editors change; tastes change; editorial markets change. Too many beginning writers give up too easily.

No writer should minimize the factor that affects everyone, but is beyond control: luck.

Losing innocence. Remembering Heaven. That was the essence of Hell

The best that could be left behind by any man: children who had been brought up to behave responsibly and to believe in something beyond their own self gratification. (The Americans

Human beings may be inconsistent, but human nature is true to itself

He could never be anything more than what he was: the inheritor of weakness and unbridled emotion, a creature possessed by the past, and carrying its curse forever into the future--

•

This time I felt my own face redden. Talking with this woman was like sitting still for a series of slaps, delivered arhythmically so you couldn't know when the next one was coming.

I'm Used To, Being Used, Not Abused.

Chicago has a strange metaphysical elegance of death about it.

The only thing that will stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons is regime change in Tehran.

The difference between film and theater is that in film, an actor is sort of under a magnifying glass and everything that they do, just the smallest movement, is very detectible.

The idea of Jewish unity, of a plan, an organization, unfortunately exists only in the brains of Hitler and Streicher.

No one can take from us the ability to choose our attitudes toward the circumstances in which we find ourselves. This is the last of human freedoms.

I come out of repertory theatre so I've been working under pressure my whole career.

Although wine when it is read somewhat lacks the savour of wine when it is drunk, wine remains a very pleasant thing both to read about and to chat about.