More particularly, having a largely German-oriented education has made me very responsive to 19th-century German literature.

It's the oldest question of all, George. Who can spy on the spies?

During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity.

A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.

The only reward for love is the experience of loving.

Let's all pretend to be someone else, and then perhaps we'll find out who we are.

I think the greatest single enemy is the misuse of information, the perversion of truth in the hands of terribly skillful people.

The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat’s mat is a story.

I used to think it was clever to confuse comedy with tragedy. Now I wish I could distinguish them.

Blackmail is more effective than bribery.

A spy, like a writer, lives outside the mainstream population. He steals his experience through bribes and reconstructs it.

A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession.

Actually I liked that 'Let the Right One In,' that Swedish vampire movie.

Time is more than just a work issue; it's also a life issue. The way you spend your time defines the life you life.

Since the working-class lives from hand to mouth,it buys as long as it has the means to buy.

... uncritical love is the only real treasure.

As long as what is is-and Georgia is Georgia-I will take Harlem for mine. At least, if trouble comes, I will have my own window to shoot from.

Two things to remember in life: take care of your thoughts when you are alone, and take are of your words when you are with people.

Even if you're an agnostic or an atheist, you can create an altar, because an altar is simply paying homage to someone's life and celebrating what they did.

Records are there to be broken.

And you know there’s nothing like writing a song about someone who’s mean to you, and just makes your life miserable…and then winning a Grammy for it.