“Those with the least always lose the most in war.”

“Sometimes you lose a battle. But mischief always wins the war”

“Class divisions as clear as those between Harrington and myself always bring out my best, or at least my most petty.”

“No one starts a war warning that those involved will lose their innocence - that children will definitely die and be forever lost as a result of the conflict; that the war will not end for generations and generations, even after cease-fires have been declared and peace treaties have been signed. No one starts a war that way, but they should. It would at least be fair warning and an honest admission: even a good war - if there is such a thing - will kill anyone old enough to die.”

“Novels ought to have hope; at least, American novels ought to have hope. French novels don't need to. We mostly win wars, they lose them. Of course, they did hide more Jews than many other countries, and this is a form of winning.”

“The happiest people are those who do the most for others. The most miserable are those who do the least.”