“Stories distribute the suffering so that it can be borne.”

“The story was clearly over, as in juggling when the ball you throw up finds the moment to come down, hesitates as if it might not, and then drops at the same speed of that celestial light. And life is no longer good but just what you happen to be holding.”

“So the Trustees of Ohio State were right in 1956 when they canned the English instructor for assigning Catcher in the Rye to his freshman class. They knew there is no qualitative difference between the kid who thinks it's funny to fart in chapel, and Che Guevara. They knew then Holden Caulfield would found SDS.”

“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

“There is music in words, and it can be heard you know, by thinking.”

“I try to avoid experience if I can. Most experience is bad.”

“I’ve had very little experience in my life. In fact, I try to avoid experience if I can. Most experience is bad.”