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.

Less is more.

Writing is thinking on paper.

Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills, and meaningless jargon.

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

Four basic premises of writing: clarity, brevity, simplicity, and humanity.

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.

I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.

Thought is action in rehearsal.

A clear sentence is no accident.

If the nails are weak, your house will collapse. If your verbs are weak and your syntax is rickety, your sentences will fall apart.

To be angry is to revenge the faults of others on ourselves.

My Greatest Failures has been My Greatest Success~

I've spent a bit of time with the Prince of Wales, who I respect greatly. I'd give two cheers for the Monarchy.

The only way to write a book, I’m fond of telling people, is to actually write a book. That’s how you write a book.

Aspirin will not bring dead hookers back to life.

The purpose of meditation is to stop thinking for a time, wait for the fog of thought to thin, and glimpse the spirit within.

Do not give, as many rich men do, like a hen that lays her eggs ...and then cackles.

It is a shame when nonsense can substitute for fact with impunity.

Everything I know, I write about. My only research is what I did.

A man's readiness and commitment are not enough if he does not enjoy help from above as well; equally help from above is no benefit to us unless there is also commitment and readiness on our part.