“Being influential is not the mark of a great book.” — Mortimer Adler Quote

Being influential is not the mark of a great book.

An educated person is one who, through the travail of his own life, has assimilated the ideas that make him representative of his culture.

We acknowledge but one motive - to follow the truth as we know it, whithersoever it may lead us; but in our heart of hearts we are well assured that the truth which has made us free, will in the end make us glad also.

The ultimate end of education is happiness or a good human life, a life enriched by the possession of every kind of good, by the enjoyment of every type of satisfaction.

Not to engage in the pursuit of ideas is to live like ants instead of like men.

The words of my book nothing, the drift of it everything.

Dickens's final book, 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood,' forms the jumping-off point for my new novel, 'The Last Dickens'. This last work by Dickens has very little social commentary and a pretty tightly efficient storyline and cast of characters. Not necessarily what we think of when we think what characterizes Dickens.

Children simply don't make the distinction; a book is either good or bad. And some of the books they think are good are very, very bad indeed.

I wish one time in my life I could do what other writers do... get me a villa in Spain and go there to write a book.