In 1957, I Decided: Write Or Perish.

I'd Given Up Everything To Be A Writer, And If I Didn't Then Go On To Do That - To Write - Then I Didn't Know What Would Happen To Me.

In General, American Life Is More Easy-going. And Civic Pride, National Pride In A Cultural Sense, Is Great In America. I Think What They Esteem In America Is Character And Energy, And Being Different And Superior To Other Peoples. Of Course, Every Nation Feels Itself To Be Superior, But In America It's A Jaunty Feeling, And In Some Cases A Rather Ominous One Among The Super-patriots.

Now They Are Lovers. The First, Wild Courses Are Ended. They Have Founded Their Domain. A Satanic Happiness Follows.

It's Tremendous: This World, This Life. Take It While You Have It.

Your Parents Are The Parents You Know Best. Your Brother And Sister, If You Have Them, Are The Brother And Sister You Know Best. They May Not Be The Ones You Like The Best. They May Not Be The Most Interesting, But They Are The Closest And Probably The Clearest To You.