The night was a time for bestial affinities, for drawing closer to oneself..

That wasn't a bad price for a first book. My agent upped it as much as possible. I was 27 and had nothing behind me. I was working like a fool to ear….

In view of the fact that I surround myself with numbskulls now, I shall die among numbskulls, and on my deathbed shall be surrounded by numbskulls wh….

Dusk was falling quickly. It was just after 7 P.M., and the month was October..

The kiss became the narrowed center of the still point of the turning world, so that even the park was turning in comparison to the still peace at th….

Life is a long failure of understanding ... a long, mistaken shutting of the heart..

one blow in anger [would] kill, probably, a child from aged two to eight. Those over eight would take two blows to kill..

I should love to do a novel, about one abnormal character seeing present-day life, very ordinary life, yet arresting through it, abnormality, until a….

The first person you should think of pleasing, in writing a book, is yourself. If you can amuse yourself for the length of time it takes to write a b….

If people have bought something of mine, they know by now that I will decline writing it for the movies.

Honesty, for me, is usually the worst policy imaginable..

I was in New York. Hitchcock was in California. He rang me to make a report on his progress and said, I'm having trouble. I've just sacked my second ….

Everything human is alien to me..

This is what I like, sitting at a table and watching people go by. It does something to your outlook on life. The Anglo-Saxons make a great mistake n….

How was it possible to be afraid and in love... The two things did not go together. How was it possible to be afraid, when the two of them grew stron….

Then Carol slipped her arm under her neck, and all the length of their bodies touched fitting as if something had prearranged it. Happiness was like ….

One situation – maybe one alone – could drive me to murder: family life, togetherness..

Honestly, I don't understand why people get so worked up about a little murder!.

For neither life nor nature cares if justice is ever done or not..

Every man is his own law court and punishes himself enough..

I have Graham Greene's telephone number, but I wouldn't dream of using it. I don't seek out writers because we all want to be alone..