“Anthony Heilbut has been a guide and a mentor to me. I know of no one who has the love and depth of knowledge of this extraordinary author.”

Somewhere in a burst of glory / Sound becomes a song.

I like them all. They’re all pictures of me when I wrote them. I have no favorite songs.

In the clearing stands the boxer, and a fighter by his trade. And he carries a reminder of every glove that laid him down, or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame “I am leaving! I am leaving” but the fighter still remains.

Sail on silver girl Sail on by Your time has come to shine All your dreams are on their way See how they shine Oh, if you need a friend I’m sailing right behind.

I have my books and my poetry to protect me.

I try to open up my heart as much as I can and keep a real keen eye out that I don’t get sentimental. I think we’re all afraid to reveal our hearts. It’s not at all in fashion.

People talking without speaking, People listening without hearing, Sounds of Silence.

It’s very helpful to start with something that’s true. If you start with something that’s false, you’re always covering your tracks. Something simple and true, that has a lot of possibilities, is a nice way to begin.

We’re living in a certain time, and we’re aware of it. And that’s part of what we’re aware of, along with our own personal aches and pains.

I met my old lover on the street last night, she seemed glad to see me.

I don’t very often think I’ve done a good job. I don’t like the majority of what I do. I shouldn’t say I don’t like it, but I’m not satisfied with almost everything that I do.

The trick is, as I know it, is to care like hell and not give a damn at the same time.

A lot of talent is a gift, but a lot is also luck. I’m very aware of that. I was born in the right place at the right time. I am also blessed because I’ve never been a sex symbol. I’m spared the embarrassment of acting young.

One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.

Breakdowns come, and breakdowns go.

How can you live in the Northeast?

There is no greater discovery than seeing God as the author of your destiny.

I do not read a book; I hold a conversation with the author.

All art is unstable. Its meaning is not necessarily that implied by the author. There is no authoritative voice. There are only multiple readings.

Reading the Bible will help you get to know the word, but it’s when you put it down and live your life that you get to know the author.

I am so in favor of the actual infinite that instead of admitting that Nature abhors it, as is commonly said, I hold that Nature makes frequent use of it everywhere, in order to show more effectively the perfections of its Author.

There is no less invention in aptly applying a thought found in a book, than in being the first author of the thought.

God is the author of the universe, and the free establisher of the laws of motion.

The world is crawling with authors touring now. They’re like performance artists.