“The devil is an optimist if he thinks he can make people worse than they are.”

“How is the world ruled and led to war? Diplomats lie to journalists and believe these lies when they see them in print.”

“War: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering; in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost.”

“Democracy means the opportunity to be everyone's slave.”

“A woman who cannot be ugly is not beautiful.”

“Chastity always takes its toll. In some it produces pimples; in others, sex laws.”

“Mostly, we authors must repeat ourselves - that's the truth. We have two or three great and moving experiences in our lives - experiences so great and moving that it doesn't seem at the time anyone...”

“Five common traits of good writers: (1) They have something to say. (2) They read widely and have done so since childhood. (3) They possess what Isaac Asimov calls a "capacity for clear thought," a...”

“There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose line than I do and who have a better understanding of what people are really like and what humanity is supposed to mean hell, I know that.”