“startling! such determination in the dull and uninspiredand the copyists.they never lose the fierce gratitudefor their uneventfulness,nor do they forget to laughat the wit of slugs;as a study in diluted sensesthey'd make any pharaohcough up his beans;in music they prefer the monotony ofdripping faucets;in love and sex they prefer each otherand therefore compound theproblem;the energy with which they propel theiruselessness(without any self-doubt)toward worthless goalsis as magnificent ascow shit.they produce novels, children, death,freeways, cities, wars, wealth, poverty, politiciansand total areas of grandiose waste;it's as if the whole world is wrapped in dirtybandages.it's best to take walks late at night.it's best to do your business only onMondays andTuesdays.it's best to sit in a small roomwith the shades downandwait.the strongest men are the fewestand the strongest women die alonetoo.”

“They prefer death to peace, others prefer death to war. Any opinion can be preferred to life, which it seems so natural to love dearly.”

“But there are men for whom the unattainable has a special attraction. Usually they are not experts: their ambitions and fantasies are strong enough to brush aside the doubts which more cautious men might have. Determination and faith are their strongest weapons. At best such men are regarded as eccentric; at worst, mad...”

“Men tend to remember the best things about the women they've loved and to forget the worst, which is why so many men make the same mistakes with women again and again. Women tend to forget the best things about the men they've loved and to remember the worst, which is why so many women become bitter about men.”

“Family, like arsenic, works best in small doses...unless you prefer to die.”

“The way to wealth is as plain as the way to market. It depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality: that is, waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Without industry and frugality nothing will do, and with them everything.”