To wear the arctic fox you have to kill it.

As for butterflies, I can hardly conceive of one's attending upon you; but to question the congruence of the complement is vain, if it exists.

Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads.

Your thorns are the best part of you.

Any writer overwhelmingly honest about pleasing himself is almost sure to please others.

Originality is... a by-product of sincerity.

Camels are snobbish and sheep, unintelligent; water buffaloes, neurasthenic-- even murderous. Reindeer seem over-serious.

Omissions are not accidents.

The hands are the heart's messengers.

The passion for setting people right is in itself an afflictive disease.

When one cannot appraise out of one's own experience, the temptation to blunder is minimized, but even when one can, appraisal seems chiefly useful as appraisal of the appraiser.

…well just call me Hannibal Lecter. With cleavage.

Drink from the fountain of youth and cloak yourself in the garments of wisdom.

The people of the United States will do anything for Latin America, except read about it.

Genius is initiative on fire.

Dog movies nowadays are not what dog movies were 50 or even 10 years ago. For one thing, the dogs have become better actors.

Life: another day, another dolor.

When I finish a job, I surrender it completely. I have to, because after that, it really is out of my hands.

Prayer is a sign of repentance, a desire to become better, purer.

If you think that the brass is not blowing loud enough, mute it by a couple of degrees.

The lion's share of my work is revision, 85%? I revise forever, combing over lines, listening and listening to them in different hours and moods so that I feel they are finally right for me.