The more original a short-story writer, the odder looking the assortment of things he or she puts together for a story.

It is very difficult to teach navigation theory to someone who clings to the shore.

An essay is a work of literary art which has a minimum of one anecdote and one universal idea.

Literature has low enough standards. But we can avoid writing the worst literature if we make ourselves ask ourselves, every two or three sentences we write, 'Is that what I really think?'

The principle of literature is devotion to the particulars of life.

No work of literature is the product of only one or two conscious ideas. A story is mysteriously dense of meaning.

The secret of literature, which conventional people don't guess, is that writers are forever looking for the surprising revelation - not for reinforcement of collective wisdom.

For a short-story writer, a story is the combination of what the writer supposed the story would likely be about - plus what actually turned up in the course of writing.

Apprenticeship is one of the dearest roles of childhood, not just watching Dad or Mother, but being taught a hands-on trade.

Emily was feeling the elation of conscientious hosts when they can temporarily escape a ubiquitous houseguest.

No one is shallow and vulgar forever; sooner or later the whole species likes to be profound.

We are made of stars. So, what's impossible?

You wake from dreams of doom and--for a moment--you know: beyond all the noise and the gestures, the only real thing, love's calm unwavering flame in the half-light of an early dawn.

It is right that we be concerned with the scientific probity of metaphysics.

Once I started to look i finally began to see.

Just let me be me, That's the only way I know.

No beast is more savage than man when possessed with power answerable to his rage.

Good enough is good enough. Perfect will make you a big fat mess every time.

Memory is so corrupt that you remember only what you want to; if you want to forget about something, slowly but surely you do.

Marriages we regard as the happiest are those in which each of the partners believes he or she got the best of it.

There is no need to distract the attention of the community from the essence of the subject substituting it with secondary questions dealing with the search of those who did it [hacker's attacks].