"1. Find a subject you care about. 2. Do not ramble, though. 3. Keep it simple. 4. Have the guts to cut. 5. Sound like…"

"The telling of jokes is an art of its own, and it always rises from some emotional threat. The best jokes are dangero…"

"My brother got his doctorate in 1938, I think. If he had gone to work in Germany after that, he would have been helpi…"

"I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it's a very poor scheme for…"

"Literature is idiosyncratic arrangements in horizontal lines in only twenty-six symbols, ten arabic numbers, and abou…"

"You learn about life by the accidents you have, over and over again, and your father is always in your head when that…"

"All these people talk so eloquently about getting back to good old-fashioned values. Well, as an old poop I can remem…"

"What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create st…"

"Well, I've worried some about, you know, why write books … why are we teaching people to write books when presidents …"

"One of the great American tragedies is to have participated in a just war. It's been possible for politicians and mov…"