“The cost of sanity in this society, is a certain level of alienation”
“A civilized society is one which tolerates eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity.”
“You don't write a novel out of sheer pity any more than you blow a safe out of a vague longing to be rich. A certain ruthlessness and a sense of alienation from society is as essential to creative writing as it is to armed robbery.”
“Depression: the healthy suspicion that modern life has no meaning and that modern society is absurd and alienating.”
“I do want to believe in love. I want all of its trappings, and if it costs me my sanity and a very good divorce lawyer, so be it.”
“The measure of mindfulness, the touchstone for sanity in this society, is our level of productivity, our attention to responsibility, our ability to plain and simple hold down a job. ”