“Actually if a writer needs a dictionary he should not write. He should have read the dictionary at least three times from beginning to end.”

An exaggerated but revealing statement of his belief in a writer's mastery of language · Letter, 20 March 1953

• Knowledge
• Language
• Writing

“Learning is a hell of a lot of fun. Don't see why can't keep it up all my life. Certainly plenty to learn.”

Expressing an enduring appetite for reading, study and intellectual growth · Letter to Malcolm Cowley, 14 November 1945

• Growth
• Knowledge
• Learning