“The quest of the alchemists to turn lead into gold is a metaphor for our attempts to turn the base metal of ourselves, that person hooked on consumerism, filled with angst and ambition, into the go...”

“One passion leads to another. It's passion that makes the wheels of life turn, passion for work, passion for pleasure, passion for passion.”

“If you add the shadow of death to a moment of passion you are in that instant free of all normal ties, your mind grows still and your body enters a state of non-being.”

“If you are open to change and welcome surprise, you know the secret of creativity and the secret of life.”

“You don't become a success by breaking the rules. You don't become a success by obeying the rules. You become a success by inventing the rules.”

“There was a monster in me that had to be fed by success. There is a monster in us all that has to be fed by something.”

“In truly good writing no matter how many times you read it you do not know how it is done. That is beacause there is a mystery in all great writing and that mystery does not dis-sect out. It contin...”

“There are books full of great writing that don't have very good stories. Read sometimes for the story... don't be like the book-snobs who won't do that. Read sometimes for the words--the language. ...”

“There is only one secret to great writing and that's great writing.”

“Is not our purest form of writing that done without the taint of money?”

“One single letter cures the blank page.”

“When you write, you can write yourself into the world of your dreams or the world of your nightmares. The choice is yours!”