“I'm not an author, I'm a writer, that's all I am. Authors want their names down in history; I want to keep the smoke coming out of the chimney.”

Writers on Writing interview (1986)

Source: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

InStyle magazine (2009)

Source: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

As quoted in The Writer's Quotation Book : A Literary Companion (1980) by James Charlton, p. 44

Nationally televised address (6 July 1976)
1970s
Context: I'm convinced that today the majority of Americans want what those first Americans wanted: A better life for themselves and their children; a minimum of government authority. Very simply, they want to be left alone in peace and safety to take care of the family by earning an honest dollar and putting away some savings. This may not sound too exciting, but there is something magnificent about it. On the farm, on the street corner, in the factory and in the kitchen, millions of us ask nothing more, but certainly nothing less than to live our own lives according to our values — at peace with ourselves, our neighbors and the world.

Source: Dr. Bloodmoney

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!