“Writers are really people who write books not because they are poor, but because they are dissatisfied with the books which they could buy but do not like.”

“There are people who think contraception is immoral because the object of copulation is procreation. In a similar way there are people who think the only reason to read a book is to write a book; people should call up books from the dust and the dark and write thousands of words to be sent down to the dust and the dark which can be called up so that other people can send further thousands of words to join them in the dust and the dark. Sometimes a book can be called from the dust and the dark to produce a book which can be bought in shops, and perhaps it is interesting, but the people who buy it and read it because it is interesting are not serious people, if they were serious they would not care about the interest they would be writing thousands of words to consign to the dust and the dark. There are people who think death a fate worse than boredom.”

“Literature suffers because writers give their books to colleagues who will then write glowing reviews or saccharine introductions.”

“Because to the poor, books are not diversions. Book are siege weapons.”

“Do not buy finery or jewels, because books are worth more than they are. Adorn your understanding with their precious ideas, because there is no luxury that dazzles like the luxury of science.”

“I want to be a writer, not an engineer who writes books.”