There are people all over the world who like to write fan letters in the voice of their pet: 'Hello my name is Fifi and I'm a labrador and I think you're great. Paw paw!'

When I was in the Peace Corps I never made a phone call. I was in Central Africa I didn't make a phone call for two years. I was in Uganda for another four years and I didn't make a phone call. So for six years I didn't make a phone call but I wrote letters I wrote short stories I wrote books.

I'm an advocate of the great Dr. Johnson the English man of letters who said that patriotism was the last refuge of the scoundrel.

I often get letters quite frequently from people who say how they like the programmes a lot but I never give credit to the almighty power that created nature.

I have asked myself once or twice lately what was my natural bent. I have no doubt at all: It is to look at each day for the evil of that day and have a go at it and that is why I have never failed to have an acute interest in each morning's letters.

Now I know that that is just the phenomena of eating this way. Most all of my letters say I hit a plateau and then one morning I woke up and the melt had happened.

When an actor has money he doesn't send letters he sends telegrams.

I'm receiving 300 to 500 letters every week from people telling me that God used my stories to save their marriage or to introduce them to Christ or to heal a relationship that had been broken.

More than kisses letters mingle souls.

One of the consequences of the Iranian revolution has been an explosion of history. A country once known only from British consular reports and intrepid travelogues is now awash with historical documents letters diaries grainy video weblogs and secret police files of questionable authenticity.