Readers not critics are the people who determine a book s eventual fate

We are not trying to entertain the critics I ll take my chances with the public

Having the critics praise you is like having the hangman say you ve got a pretty neck

You need a high degree of corruption or a very big heart to love absolutely everything

The trouble with most of us is that we d rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism

A critic is a man created to praise greater men than himself but he is never able to find them

Has anybody ever seen a drama critic in the daytime? Of course not They come out after dark up to no good

Writers are lampposts and critics are dogs Ask lampposts what they think about dogs Does the dog hurt the lamppost?

In criticism I will be bold and as sternly absolutely just with friend and foe From this purpose nothing shall turn me

Contrary to the claims of some of my critics and some of the editorial pages I am an ardent believer in the free market

Never trust the artist Trust the tale The proper function of a critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it

Before you criticize a man walk a mile in his shoes That way when you do criticize him you ll be a mile away and have his shoes

Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how it s done they ve seen it done every day but they re unable to do it themselves

But instead of spending our lives running towards our dreams we are often running away from a fear of failure or a fear of criticism

When you re different sometimes you don t see the millions of people who accept you for what you are All you notice is the person who doesn t