"As a general rule we do not want much encouragement to talk about ourselves; yet this little book is the result of a …"

"You perceive the force of a word. He who wants to persuade should put his trust, not in the right argument, but in th…"

"Once upon a time there lived an Emperor who was a sage and something of a literary man. He jotted down on ivory table…"

"I know that a novelist lives in his work. He stands there, the only reality in an invented world, amongst imaginary t…"

"While these reminiscent pages were appearing serially I was remonstrated with for bad economy; as if such writing wer…"

"In my two exclusively sea books, "The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'" and "The Mirror of the Sea" (and in the few short se…"

"One's literary life must turn frequently for sustenance to memories and seek discourse with the shades; unless one ha…"

"It seems to me that in one, at least, authoritative quarter of criticism I am suspected of a certain unemotional, gri…"

"My answer is that if it be true that every novel contains an element of autobiography — and this can hardly be denied…"

""Embroil" is perhaps too strong an expression. I can't imagine either amongst my enemies or my friends a being so har…"