As a child, I had a serious illness that lasted for two years or more. I have vague recollections of this illness and of my being carried about a great deal. I was known as the 'sick one.' Whether this illness gave me a twist away from ordinary paths, I don't know; but it is possible.

My reading and drawing drew me away from the ordinary interests, and I lived a great deal in the world of imagination, feeding upon any book that fell into my hands. When I had got hold of a really thick book like Hugo's 'Les Miserables,' I was happy and would go off into a corner to devour it.

I did comedies for 10 years and I learned a great deal.

I have been away a great deal in the daytime, occasionally at night.

You have to study a great deal to know a little.

I've been asked a great deal about the influence I've had with my work and it's impossible to say, you know.