What fetched me instantly (and thousands of other newcomers with me) was the subtle but unmistakable sense of escape from the United States.

Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

The demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

Morality is doing what is right, no matter what you are told. Religion is doing what you are told, no matter what is right.

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

Doctor doctor, what do you say, lets put the id back in yid

I am always working out, whether I am on vacation or at home. When in La Jolla, I like to surf, play tennis, and golf - but surfing is definitely my favorite.

There are moments when the human body can overcome things you would never expect.

'Ms.' is a syllable which sounds like a bumble bee is breaking wind.

I'm obsessed with horrible movies.

The public scandal is what constitutes the offence: sins sinned in secret are no sins at all.

I want my fiction to feel real most of the time, so it makes sense to pay attention to life and to how people work.

When I was working with Stanley Kubrick [on "Eyes Wide Shut"], he would always say, "You never tell the audience what to feel. Let them choose to have their responses."

Everybody improvises their way through every day. And so I do that with music.

I'd like to work with Outkast, I'd like to work with RZA, I'd like to work with Timbaland, York, a whole bunch of people.