1. “An individual of middle age looks back over half of his life, of his "allotted span," which after such expectations of endlessness seems like a very short, vivid, but slippery dream. And he or she knows by then that all that can be expected is another short, illusive dream. That when he, or she, comes to die -- and it will be soon -- they will look back on experiences no more substantial than what they wake up from each morning: events and atmospheres exciting or pleasant or horrifying that have slid away and are already half-forgotten.”
2. "Better Counsel comes overnight."
3. "Borrowing is not much better than begging; just as lending with interest is not much better than stealing."
4. “How else do things work unless by imitation bred of the passion to be like? All the processes of society are based on it, all individual development. For some reason, it was something that we seemed to have a conspiracy to ignore or not to mention, even while most single-mindedly engaged in it. There was some sort of conspiracy of belief that people -- children, adults, everyone -- grew by an acquisition of unconnected habits, of isolated bits of knowledge, like chosing things off a counter, "Yes, I'll have that one," or, "No, I don't want that one!" But in fact people develop for good or for bad by swallowing whole other people, atmospheres, events, places -- develop by admiration. Often enough unconsciously, of course. We are the company we keep.”
5. “If a fish is the movement of water embodied, given shape, then cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air.”
6. "In the writing process, the more the story cooks, the better. The brain works for you even when you are at rest. I find dreams particularly useful. . . . You can only learn to be a better writer by actually writing."
7. "In university they don't tell you that the greater part of the law is learning to tolerate fools."
8. "It is terrible to destroy a person's picture of himself in the interests of truth or some other abstraction."
9. "It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles and important matters as important."
10. "Laughter is by definition healthy."
11. “Love had brought her here, to lie beside this young man; love was the key to every good; love lay like a mirage through the golden gates of sex.”
12. "Man who is he? Too bad, to be the work of God: Too good for the work of chance!"
13. “Political correctness is the natural continuum from the party line. What we are seeing once again is a self-appointed group of vigilantes imposing their views on others. It is a heritage of communism, but they don't seem to see this.”
14. "Some people obtain fame, others deserve it."
15. "Space or science fiction has become a dialect for our time."
16. “That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way.”
17. "The great secret that all old people share is that you really haven't changed in seventy or eighty years. Your body changes, but you don't change at all. And that, of course, causes great confusion."
18. “Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.”
19. "Trust no friend without faults, and love a woman, but no angel."
20. "What is a hero without love for mankind."
21. "What's terrible is to pretend that the second-rate is first-rate, that you don't need love when you do or that you like your work when you know quite well you're capable of better."
