If you're a singer you lose your voice. A baseball player loses his arm. A writer gets more knowledge, and if he's good, the older he gets, the better he writes.

The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book.

The most important part of a story is the ending. No one reads a book to get to the middle.

I'm actually a softie. Tough guys get killed too early... I've got a full head of hair and don't wear eyeglasses.

Inspiration is an empty bank account.

Mike Hammer drinks beer because I can't spell Cognac.

Nobody reads a book to get to the middle.

If the public likes you, you're good. Shakespeare was a common, down-to-earth writer in his day.

Those big-shot writers ... could never dig the fact that there are more salted peanuts consumed than caviar.

I have no fans. You know what I got? Customers. And customers are your friends.

If I need something, I'll invent it.

And not only the pride of intellect, but the stupidity of intellect. And, above all, the dishonesty, yes, the dishonesty of intellect. Yes, indeed, the dishonesty and trickery of intellect.

In my world, I am one of the luckiest humans alive.

I'm still trying to do me and just make good music and quality music, music that you can feel.

There's a saying, 'It's easy to write songs, but very difficult to write great songs.' I'm going through that right now.

Being a star just means that you just find your own special place and that you shine where you are. To me that's what being a star means.

That path leads ever down into stagnation.

I was quite good at football once, although other than that my speciality would be maths. I'm great at sudokus and find all the spin-off games pretty easy too.

You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by; but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by.

Moriarty is arguably the most famous super-villain in terms of literature.

Give me coffee! I'm going to write!