"Proverbs often contradict one another, as any reader soon discovers. The sagacity that advises us to look before we leap promptly warns us that if we hesitate we are lost; that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but out of sight, out of mind."

"A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood."

"Words must surely be counted among the most powerful drugs man ever invented."

"If you are going to do something wrong at least enjoy it."

"Any man who hates dogs and babies can't be all bad."

"An angel is a spiritual creature created by God without a body for the service of Christendom and the church."

"Satire is focused bitterness."

"Why did God give me two ears and one mouth? So that I will hear more and talk less."

"Happiness comes only when we push our brains and hearts to the farthest reaches of which we are capable."

"First-rate people hire first-rate people; second-rate people hire third-rate people."

"A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead."

"The only reason for being a professional writer is that you can't help it."

"The writer wants to be understood much more than he wants to be respected or praised or even loved. And that perhaps, is what makes him different from others."

"Courage is the capacity to confront what can be imagined."

"I never cease being dumbfounded by the unbelievable things people believe."

"Humor is the affectionate communication of insight."

"Truth is stranger than fiction; fiction has to make sense."