“You’ll have to excuse Harry. He has what I call ‘chauffeured child syndrome.’ ” “He’s been driven all his life?” “That is correct. He has no drive of his own at all.”

“A creative person has little power over his own life. He is not free. He is captive and driven by his daimon.”

“If each person does the best with what he has, that’s winning. He’s fulfilling his own potential.”

“The life of a writer is absolute hell compared to the life of a businessman. The writer has to force himself to work He has to make his own hours and if he doesn't go to his desk at all there is nobody to scold him...A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it.”

“A man who has blown all his options can’t afford the luxury of changing his ways. He has to capitalize on whatever he has left, and he can’t afford to admit — no matter how often he’s reminded of it — that every day of his life takes him farther and farther down a blind alley…”

“If you’re as intelligent as I think, you’ll back away and give him time to examine his true desires. He’s so busy fulfilling everyone else’s; he has no idea what he wants.”“I’ve been under the impression that he wanted me,” Billie said coldly, “or I wouldn’t be here.”