Because between doing something and doing nothing, this is all I can do.

Why had his mother gone to the trouble of bringing him into the world if the most exciting moment in his life was having been made lame by a bayonet?

...the wrath of God pales beside that of man.

Time is a river sweeping away all that is born towards the darkest shore.

There is little more I can add short of dissecting the man, or going into intimate details such as the modest proportions and slight southeasterly curvature of his manhood.

Merrick belonged to that class of reader who was able to forget with amazing ease the hand moving the characters behind the scenes of the novel.

And so everything depends on you, Bertie. Bishop or rook. Your life or mine. Do what you believe you have to do.

...but there are stories that cannot begin at their beginning, and perhaps this is one of them.

You have to persistently pursue your love.

The saying goes that the gods leave a town once it is captured.

Talk to me about sadness. I talk about it too much in my own head but I never mind others talking about it either; I occasionally feel like I tremendously need others to talk about it as well.

After I was discharged from the military, it was difficult trying to become a civilian.

The first thing I do when I get up, I have breakfast.

Be sure to expose yourself to criticism: A fine polish requires an abrasive.

I have very mixed feelings about the movie business, and about Los Angeles in general.

My dad still calls me and makes sure I'm taking my vitamins.

I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?