William Gaddis

That after an hour’s silence he can say, The one thing I cannot stand is dampness… That’s all, it took him an hour to work that out.

There is nothing more distressing or tiresome than a writer standing in front of an audience and reading his work.

What you seek in vain for, half your life, one day you come full upon, all the family at dinner. You seek it like a dream, and as soon as you find it, you become its prey.

He was doing missionary work. But from the outset he had little success in convincing his charges of their responsibility for a sin committed at the beginning of creation, one which, as they understood it, they were ready and capable (indeed, they carried charms to assure it) of duplicating themselves. He did no better convincing them that a man had died on a tree to save them all: an act which one old Indian, if Gwyon had translated correctly, regarded as “rank presumption”.

I mean why should somebody go steal and break the law to get all they can when there’s always some law where you can be legal and get it all anyway!

Merry Christmas! the man threatened.

Life is tough and if you’re creative, it’s tougher.

Truth exists in art.

Make the best of every moment. We’re not evolving. We’re not going anywhere.

There is no art without intention.

We’ll buy some drugs and watch a band and jump in a river holding hands.

People with talent are not interested in showing off behind another person.

Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.

If you hold onto the beauty and inspiration and the clarity that is music, you will have an anchor, you will not be too far swayed by what the world is.

There’s no collection that has a better representation of post-war American art than David Geffen’s.

It is unquestionably true that the need for art is not created by economic conditions. But neither is the need for food created by economics. On the contrary, the need for food and warmth creates economics.

I believe that all creative people have more than one passion, more than one creative talent.

It’s like telling Michelangelo: ‘I know you painted this dope angel, that was really good, but Michelangelo, I don’t think you can paint a cow.’

MoMA is doubling its space, and I decided to raise the money for it.

The essence of all Art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure.

Bad artists imitate, great artists steal.