“The art that speaks [truth] most unmistakably, most directly, most variously, most fully, is fiction.”

“Art is never the voice of a country, it is an even more precious thing, the voice of the individual, doing its best to speak, not comfort of any sort, but truth. And the art that speaks it most unmistakably, most directly, most variously, most fully, is fiction.”

“Art, though, is never the voice of a country; it is an even more precious thing, the voice of the individual, doing its best to speak, not comfort of any sort, but truth. And the art that speaks it most unmistakably, most directly, most variously, most fully, is fiction; in particular, the novel.”

“the voice of beauty speaks softly; it creeps only into the most fully awakened souls”

“Learning what to want is the most radical, the most painful and the most creative art of life.”

“The first step is the most important. It is the most crucial and the most effective as it will initiate the direction you have chosen.”