That's the one thing a politician mustn't have - political opinions or principles. He can have prejudices - indeed he must have prejudices and share all the popular political superstitions of the moment as ardently as he can. But he must not have principles. He must never let the people suspect that they cannot eat their cake and have it. He must promise them a defense program and a higher standard of living. He must never use that dreadful little word or.

Helen McCloy

Categorized in : People Political Opinions Cake

Every criminal leaves psychic fingerprints. And he can't wear gloves to hide them.

Helen McCloy

gloves psychics criminals

In a city you thought of all life as human life. You had to live in the heart of the woods to realize that humanity was a slight ripple on the surface of a flood of life that seeped into every vacant crack, flowed into every biological vacuum the moment it occurred.

Helen McCloy

cities humanity heart

The experiences of the heartless are so limited. It is hate that is blind. Love may miss a flaw here and there, but hate misses beauty everywhere.

Helen McCloy

beauty-everywhere hate heart

Even a small, everyday lie is a clue to the personality and preoccupations of the liar, like a dream or any other confection of the mind, that is half-conscious and half-unconscious, as all creative acts must be.

Helen McCloy

dream liars lying

most of our social and educational institutions are designed to weed out or make over people ... until we produce a world where everyone is a smart, quick-witted, aggressive person living on the surface of the mind without ever looking into the depths.

Helen McCloy

smart weed educational

That's the worst thing about money - the moment you have some you begin to suspect everyone of trying to take it away from you. And usually they are.

Helen McCloy

money moments trying

A critic is a person who rationalizes his likes and dislikes in such impressive language that the layman thinks he is reasoning instead of rationalizing.

Helen McCloy

likes-and-dislikes language thinking

To the Latin, cynicism and middle age are synonymous. Look at our politicians - they move through their careers from left to center to right, like the hands of a clock.

Helen McCloy

latin hands moving

Diamonds are the tears of the poor.

Helen McCloy

rich tears jewels

Falling in love is like religious conversion. It goes on for a long time below the threshold before it reaches consciousness.

Helen McCloy

falling-in-love religious love-is

Wouldn't it be kinder to say that a lie is a short work of fiction? 'A story' as my daughter says?

Helen McCloy

daughter lying fiction

Everything you do in war is a crime in peace

Helen McCloy

anti-war crime war

Habit is far stronger than the lessons of experience.

Helen McCloy

stronger habit lessons

the fool is the one true cosmopolite - the one character common to all nationalities.

Helen McCloy

fool common character

... law is a substitute for love.

Helen McCloy

substitutes law

Civilization is a fiction which becomes a fact only as long as everyone can believe in it. It is the cynic, rather than the rebel, who pulls down the whole flimsy structure periodically throughout history.

Helen McCloy

civilization long believe

fiction and lies are both works of creative art, and creation always reveals the creator.

Helen McCloy

creativity lying art

what you fear, you invite.

Helen McCloy

invites fear

The author portrays himself in every line he writes and portrayal is always betrayal.

Helen McCloy

betrayal lines writing

the true and the plausible are rarely the same.

Helen McCloy

plausible truth