“Without story books is like a person with no soul.”

“There are books full of great writing that don't have very good stories. Read sometimes for the story... don't be like the book-snobs who won't do that. Read sometimes for the words--the language. Don't be like the play-it-safers who won't do that. But when you find a book that has both a good story and good words, treasure that book.”

“A life without books is a thirsty life, and one without poetry is...like a life without pictures.”

“Come to a book as you would come to an unexplored land. Come without a map. Explore it, and draw your own map.... A book is like a pump. It gives nothing unless first you give to it. ”

“Only library books speak with such wordless eloquence of the power good stories hold over us.”

“A short story is a different thing altogether – a short story is like a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger.”

“Come to the book as you would come to an unexplored land. Come without a map. Explore it and draw your own map.”