“A writer does not own words any more than a painter owns colors. So lets dispense with this originality fetish… Look, listen and transcribe and forget about being original.”

“Most of the trouble in this world has been caused by folks who can't mind their own business, because they have no business of their own to mind, any more than a smallpox virus has.”

“It is to be remembered that all art is magical in origin - music,sculpture, writing, painting - and by magical I mean intended toproduce very definite results. Paintings were originally formulaeto make what is painted happen. Art is not an end in itself, anymore than Einstein's matter-into-energy formulae is an end in itself.Like all formulae, art was originally FUNCTIONAL, intended to makethings happen, the way an atom bomb happens from Einstein's formulae.”

“There is nothing more provocative than minding your own business.”

“Writers, like elephants, have long, vicious memories. There are things I wish I could forget.”

“There is nothing one fears more or is more ashamed of than not being oneself. Yet few people realize even an approximation of their true potential. Most people must live with varying degrees of the shame and fear of not being fully in control of themselves.”

“Nobody owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death.”