I had the foolish idea that we should test for desirable and useful traits so that we could assemble ideally balanced teams to the colonies. [...] It's like those foolish attempts to control immigration to America based on the traits that were deemed desirable, when in fact the only trait that defines Americans historically is "descended from somebody willing to give up everything to live there". - Orson Scott Card, Ender in Exile
“Fraud is a grey area but extortion has always been okay. It’s our bread and butter! If you were being blackmailed, you deserved it. But common theft? Unacceptable.” -Retired Yamaguchi-gumi (yakuza) boss Kenji Sakurai
I'd like to emphasize that when a reader finishes a great novel, he will immediately begin looking for another. If someone loves your book, it increases the chance that he or she will look at mine. So there is no competition between writers. Another writer's success helps build a larger readership for all of us. - David Farland