"Writing a book is a horrible,
exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand."
— George Orwell

"I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia."
— Woody Allen

"I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything."
— Bill Bryson

"We used to build civilizations. Now we build shopping malls."
— Bill Bryson