I think what you ought to do is start by thinking about the simplest things and go from there. For example, you could stand on a street corner somewhere day after day and look at the people who come by. You're not in any hurry to decide anything. It may be tough, but sometimes you've got to just stop and take time. You ought to train yourself to look at things with your own eyes until something becomes clear. And don't be afraid of putting some time into it. Spending plenty of time on something can be the most sophisticated form of revenge.

— Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles

You can't fuck with the sky and expect nothing to happen.

— Paul Auster, Moon Palace

The mask eats the face.

— John Updike

If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

— John Steinbeck

“I think he was a gangster.” “Why you say that?” Miss Izi asked. “He had a lot of pockmarks on his face.” “That’s nothing,” Miss Izi said. “That could be from learning to use a fork.”

— James McBride, Deacon King Kong

Obsessions are the only thing that matter.

— Patricia Highsmith

If it's in a word, or in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook.

— Mister Babadook

There are 6 or 7 good restaurants in Rome and the rest is poison.

— Stranger overheard in a coffee shop

Oh that’s my snake's name!

— That same stranger overheard in a coffee shop

If we all had to wear uniforms it would allow the truly well-dressed to stand forth.

— Deak Nabers (one of my English professors)

I've kiboshed before and I WILL kibosh again.

— Crazy Joe Davola, Seinfeld

The nice thing about things that are urgent is that if you wait long enough they aren't urgent anymore.

— Amos Tversky