“There is no simple explanation for anything important any of us do, and the human tragedy, or the human irony, consists in the necessity of living with the consequences of actions performed under t...”

“An artist has to take life as he finds it. Life by itself is formless wherever it is. Art must give it form.”

“The trouble with this whole country is that it's divided up into little puddles with big fish in each one of them.”

“The Greeks who knew everything understood that without the orgy there is no middle ground between bedlam and Toronto ... we need the healing grace of the orgy in this country.”

“The farmer's way of saving money: to be owed by someone he trusted.”

“A novel must be exceptionally good to live as long as the average cat.”

“I have spent weeks in the desert, forgetting to look at the moon, he says, as a married man may spend days never looking into the face of his wife. These are not sins of omission but signs of pre-o...”

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my co...”

“You know, Dorothy, you cant let people bring you down so easily or youll have your nose in the dirt for the rest of your life. From what I make of it, for every person with a good thought, there ar...”

“You know you've reached a new plateau of group mediocrity when even a Canadian is alarmed by your lack of individuality.”

“She and Marie were Montreal girls, not trained to accompany heroes, or to hold out for dreams, but just to be patient.”

“Nonsense. Everyone knows Canadians are a peaceful people. He was laughing now.Tell that to the White House circa 1812, I told him.Oh? Why?Because thats the year the peace-loving Canadians burned it...”