“I was twenty then. What the hell, I used to say, take your time, Bandini. You got ten years to write a book, so take it easy, get out and learn about life, walk the streets. That’s your trouble: your ignorance of life.”

“You know how teachers are. If they get you to take out a book they love too, they're yours for life.”

“I take that back I won't stop singing when I'm dead

I'll sing from the great beyond, I will echo in your head

And if you think taking your life will set your free

You've got something to learn, it's called humility

You've got something to learn, it's called humility”

“What’s writing really about? It’s about trying to take fuller possession of the reality of your life.”

“You spend your life getting walked on, you learn to recognize the tread.”

“So… I take it that's the man in your life.”

“…my advice to every student who is trying to make a decision for the years immediately after graduation: take the opportunity that in your mind is the most rewarding, that you are most passionate about and that you find most interesting and save the rest of your life for being risk averse. Whatever you want to do, this is the time to pursue it. Twenty years from now, your freedom to take risks will be limited.”

“Love's easy to learn. It's like taking a risk. You set your mind on it and refuse to be afraid, and in no time you feel terrifically exhilarated and all your inhibitions fly out of the window.”

“The trouble with being educated is that it takes a long time; it uses up the better part of your life and when you are finished what you know is that you would have benefited more by going into banking.”

“I got $25 from Reader's Digest last week for something I never said. I get credit all the time for things I never said. You know that line in You Bet Your Life? The guy says he has seventeen kids and I say: "I smoke a cigar, but I take it out of my mouth occasionally?"”