Words have the capacity for deception. They're all full of subtext, and some of them are cliche and overused and vernacular. They're tricky. All I can say is, words are tricky. - Andrew Bird

"[The sorting hat] only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin…""Exactly," said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - JK Rowling

Your passion for words and sentence structure should equal a painter’s passion for color and brushstroke. - Andrew McAleen

The remedy is to abandon the larger for the smaller… to do the small thing closely and deeply rather than the big thing loosely and superficially. - Colson Whitehead

In writing a weird story, I always try very carefully to achieve the right mood and atmosphere and place the emphasis where it belongs. - HP Lovecraft

Read. Write. Read some more. Explore the universe through your writing. Practice and learn what moves you and what doesn’t. - Darynda Jones

Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner. - Neil Gaiman

I always read books twice. The first time you appreciate the story, the second time you appreciate the writing. - Unknown

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession. - Kingman Brewster