In the real world, the right thing never happens in the right place and the right time. It is the job of journalists and historians to make it appear that it has. – Mark Twain
Baccarat is a game whereby the croupier gathers in money with a flexible sculling oar, then rakes it home. If I could have borrowed his oar I would have stayed. – Mark Twain
We all live in the protection of certain cowardices which we call our principles. – Mark Twain
Where a blood relation sobs, an intimate friend should choke up, a distant acquaintance should sigh, a stranger should merely fumble sympathetically with his handkerchief. – Mark Twain
The press and politicians. A delicate relationship. Too close, and danger ensues. Too far apart and democracy itself cannot function without the essential exchange of information. Creative leaks, a discreet lunch, interchange in the Lobby, the art of the unattributable telephone call, late at night. – Howard Brenton