Where would the Rockefellers be today if old John D. had gone on selling short-weight kerosene ... to widows and orphans instead of wisely deciding to mulct the whole country.

Emptiness is everywhere and it can be calculated, which gives us a great opportunity. I know how to control the universe. So tell me, why should I run for a million?

It is not people who break ethical standards who are regarded as aliens. It is people like me who are isolated.

Everybody understood that if the proof is correct then no other recognition is needed.

I know how to control the Universe. Why would I run to get a million, tell me?

If they need my C.V., they don’t know my work.

Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin - it's the triumphant twang of a bedspring.

I don’t want to be on display like an animal in a zoo.

The dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he’s given the freedom to starve anywhere.

The main obligation is to amuse yourself.

I tried to resist his overtures, but he plied me with symphonies, quartets, chamber music, and cantatas.

I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a story-teller

Mistakes? That's why they put erasers on pencils.

Job tip: If you were the employer, what kind of person would you most desire as an employee? Be that person.

Everybody is dealing with how much of their own aliveness they can bear and how much they need to anesthetize themselves.

Youll have the same problems when I walk out, as you had when I walked in... unless you let me take your problems with me.

I have a sort of long-term plan to direct. I'm pragmatic about it. I realize I don't need to rush it or force it.

I cannot stress the importance of pausing to take a few deep breaths throughout the day. It's simple and effective.

Each work has to be done as intensely as possible.

Mathematics is the supreme judge; from its decisions there is no appeal.

So I went to the Chinese restaurant and this duck came up to me with a red rose and says "Your eyes sparkle like diamonds". I said "Waiter, I asked for a-ROMATIC duck".