Usually my starting point is something that I've seen. It might be a painting, it might be an object. But they always start from a definite sensory experience.

There must be a lot of people in the world being wondered about by people who don't see them anymore.

Language is an archaeological vehicle... the language we speak is a whole palimpsest of human effort and history.

After all, when you come right down to it, how many people speak the same language even when they speak the same language?

Words have a life; without response they die.

But when I don't smoke I scarcely feel as if I'm living. I don't feel as if I'm living unless I'm killing myself.

Nothing to be done really about animals. Anything you do looks foolish. The answer isn't in us. It's almost as if were put here on earth to show how silly they aren't.

When you suffer an attack of nerves you're being attacked by the nervous system. What chance has a man got against a system?.

The things that matter don't necessarily make sense.

Explorers have to be ready to die lost.

An idea is an eye given by God for the seeing of God. Some of these eyes we cannot bear to look out of; we blind them as quickly as possible.

There is a sacred potential in every soul.

You will never know loneliness when you have a dog, when you lose that dog it will be loneliness like you've never known.

Home at that moment was a starless night, a steady wind, not a human to be seen.

I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead you never look back.

Capital is that part of wealth which is devoted to obtaining further wealth.

Cautionary tales were fantastic in the '70s.

I'm so proud the fans still sing my name, but I fear tomorrow they will stop. I fear it because I love it. And everything you love, you fear you will lose.

I don't want to take food off of somebody's plate.

I never knew a writer yet who took the smallest pains with his style and was at the same time readable.

A plan is always successful if the plan is good.