We do not talk—we bludgeon one another with facts and theories gleaned from cursory readings of newspapers, magazines and digests.

1 feel that America is essentially against the artist, that the enemy of America is the artist, because he stands for individuality and creativeness, and that’s wn-American somehow.

It isn’t the oceans which cut us off from the world—it’s the American way of looking at things.

Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life.

It’s a curse. Yes, it’s a flame. It owns you. It has possession over you. You are not the master of yourself. You are consumed by this thing.

The artist is the opposite of the politically minded individual, the opposite of the reformer, the opposite of the idealist. The artist does not tinker with the universe; he re-creates it out of his own experience and understanding of life.

Even before the music begins there is that bored look on people’s faces. A polite form of self-torture, the concert.

Living apart and at peace with myself, I came to realize more vividly the meaning of the doctrine of acceptance.

One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.

How different the new order would be if we could consult the veteran instead of the politician.