“How different from the cosy world of Rüya's detective novels, where authors never vexed a hero with more signs than he needed.”

“Great novels are always a little more intelligent than their authors.”

“A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.”

“Brant's an idealist, and he's competent. There are few more dangerous combinations in this world... Heroes are even more dangerous than idealists.”

“Sure, I knew the differences between a space opera and a hard-boiled detective story and a historical novel...but I never cared about such differences. It seemed to me, then as now, that there are good stories and bad stories, and that was the only distinction that truly mattered.”

“Tis strange,-but true; for truth is always strange;Stranger than fiction: if it could be told,How much would novels gain by the exchange!How differently the world would men behold!”