“Tennessee Williams choked to death on the plastic cap of a nasal spray.”

“I also believe I met William Gaddis once. He did not look Italian.”

“Can Protagonist think of a single film that interests him as much as the three-hundredth best book he ever read?”

“You can learn more by going to the opera than you ever can by reading Emerson. Like that there are two sexes.”

“How can I tell what I think until I see what I say?”

“On the other hand it is probably safe to assume that Rembrandt and Spinoza surely would have at least passed on the street, now and again.Or even run into each other quite frequently, if only at some neighborhood shop or other.And certainly they would have exchanged amenities as well, after a time.Good morning, Rembrandt. Good morning to you, Spinoza.I was extremely sorry to hear about your bankruptcy, Rembrandt. I was extremely sorry to hear about your excommunication, Spinoza.Do have a good day, Rembrandt. Do have the same, Spinoza.All of this would have been said in Dutch, incidentally.I mention that simply because it is known that Rembrandt did not speak any other language except Dutch.Even if Spinoza may have preferred Latin. Or Jewish.”

“In fact one frequently seemed to gather all sorts of similar information about subjects one had less than profound interest in.”