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Language is the mother, not the handmaiden, of thought; words will tell you things you never thought or felt before.

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Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about.

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When words lose their meaning, physical force takes over.

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Drama is based on the Mistake. I think someone is my friend when he really is my enemy, that I am free to marry a woman when in fact she is my mother,...more

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In the detective story, as in its mirror image, the Quest for the Grail, maps (the ritual of space) and timetables (the ritual of time) are desirable....more

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No poet or novelist wishes he was the only one who ever lived, but most of them wish they were the only one alive, and quite a number believe their wi...more

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I smell blood and an era of prominent madmen.

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Base words are uttered only by the baseAnd can for such at once be understood;But noble platitudes — ah, there's a caseWhere the most careful scrutiny...more

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In the eyes of others a man is a poet if he has written one good poem. In his own he is only a poet at the moment when he is making his last revision ...more