I have fun writing. I don't make it a chore. I don't have to struggle with it.

I spent most of my dough on booze, broads and boats and the rest I wasted.

My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: When you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip.

If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can't allow what we learned in English composition to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative.

The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in.

What do you tell a man with two black eyes? Nothing, he's already been told twice.

It doesn't have to make sense, it just has to sound like it does.

Using adverbs is a mortal sin.

At the time I begin writing a novel, the last thing I want to do is follow a plot outline. To know too much at the start takes the pleasure out of discovering what the book is about.

Try not to write the parts that people skip.

All the information you need can be given in dialogue.

If it doesn't open, it's not your door

She's realized the real problem with stories -- if you keep them going long enough, they always end in death.

You have to see the good in yourself before expecting someone else to see the good in you. Be aware of who you are and what you can truly be.

I have loved this disaster of a library since I was old enough to read.

The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.

The US Constitution only guarantees your rights as a citizen, it doesn't guarantee happiness. It may take work, but if you have your rights, happiness is very possible.

With some exceptions, the wrong people are running U.S. companies. It's been that way for years, and it hasn't gotten much better.

The jobless recovery in Maine is much more of a reality than we thought it was.

False life is exhausting; Real Life is inexhaustible.

And who is responsible for this appalling child slavery? Everyone.