Having books published is very destructive to writing.
The best way to become a writer is to go off and write.
Real seriousness in regard to writing is one of two absolute necessities. The other, unfortunately, is talent.
The good parts of a book may be only something a writer is lucky enough to overhear or it may be the wreck of his whole damn life – and one is as good as another.
There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity. Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene.
There was no really good true war book during the entire four years of the war. The only true writing that came through during the war was in poetry. One reason for this is that poets are not arrested as quickly as prose writers.
To hell with luck. I’ll bring the luck with me.
I suppose if a man has something once, always something of it remains.
We have come out of the time when obedience, the acceptance of discipline, intelligent courage and resolution were most important, into that more difficult time when it is a man’s duty to understand his world rather than simply fight for it.
Yes, they have more money.
If you’re looking for messages, try Western Union.
Wearing down seven number two pencils is a good day’s work.
It wasn’t by accident that the Gettysburg address was so short. The laws of prose writing are as immutable as those of flight, of mathematics, of physics.
Write the best story that you can and write it as straight as you can.
I was a little drunk. Not drunk in any positive sense but just enough to be careless.
I think you should learn about writing from everybody who has ever written that has anything to teach you.
My training was never to drink after dinner nor before I wrote nor while I was writing.
Defense is the stronger form with the negative object, and attack the weaker form with the positive object.
All a man has is pride. Sometimes you have it so much it is a sin. We have all done things for pride that we knew were impossible. We didn’t care. But a man must implement his pride with intelligence and care.
A person with increasing knowledge and sensory education may derive infinite enjoyment from wine.