“To be one's self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity.”

“...menulislah setiap hari, berpura-pura bahwa kau menerima gaji, berpura-pura bahwa kau harus menyerahkan sesuatu atau dipecat”

“..kau harus memperlakukan kegiatan menulismu sebagai sebuah karier. Kau tidak boleh membicarakannya. Kau harus melakukannya-ingin melakukannya, suka melakukannya walaupun harus kesepian, merasa bahwa di bumi tidak ada yang lebih penting ketika kau sedang melakukannya.”

“If you talk about it, you probably won't write it”

“Since I no longer expect anything from mankind except madness, meanness, and mendacity; egotism, cowardice, and self-delusion, I have stopped being a misanthrope.”

“There’s nothing I need or want to know from the writers I admire that isn’t in their books. It’s better to read a good writer than meet one.”

“There seemed to be that same fierce quest after truth, the same unafraid penetration, the same feeling that character is beauty, no matter how sordid it may appear.”