There was a time when we expected nothing of children but obedience, as opposed to the present, when we expect everything of them but obedience."

Aphorisms are bad for novels. They stick in the reader's teeth.

"The epic implications of being human end in more than this: We start our lives as if they were momentous stories, with a beginning, a middle and an appropriate end, only to find that they are mostly middles."

"To be misunderstood can be the writer's punishment for having disturbed the reader's peace. The greater the disturbance, the greater the possibility of misunderstanding."

"If a book is really good, it deserves to be read again, and if it's great, it should be read at least three times."