Progress is born of doubt and inquiry. The Church never doubts, never inquires. To doubt is heresy, to inquire is to admit that you do not know—the Church does neither.

I am not afraid of what god can do to me. He is already doing it

If you have to injure someone, then make it so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.

If we had time and no money, living by our wits, what story would you tell?

They who have nothing to trouble them, will be troubled at nothing.

Don't give anything away. Never make it easy for the guys you are trying to beat.

The beginnings of a forest is one of the ugliest things on the planet. It's bleak and your neighbours hate you.

History is on every occasion the record of that which one age finds worthy of note in another.

Ideal goals are a menace in themselves, as much in more modern philosophers as in Plato.

When you're rereading or editing your book and you start to expect that this work is going to be reviewed, and you can sort of tell which line is going to show up in reviews.

It's a choice that you make and there's consequences. It's something you have to own.