A neglect of one's sentimental education early in life could bear the most unfortunate fruit.

English is much drier. You can get away with a lot less. Pathos, lyricism, these are things you have to tone down if you want the English version of the book to work.

I wanted to write a book that would leave open many riddles and mysteries, even to me. Of course in some cases I do know the answers, but in many others I don't know and don't want to know.

People who have experienced nothing love to tell stories while people who have experienced a great deal suddenly have no stories to tell at all.

When you translate the American writers who are best with dialogue into German - someone like Elmore Leonard, or Tom Wolfe, who's also quite good with dialogue. It's very hard to translate them well.

Also, whenever you have direct speech, and I don't quite know why, but it always gets better in English. Dialogue, the flow of dialogue, English just has a better way with it.

Exactly as we might ask God, and do ask God, to change our fate. The difference is that in the story the writer actually replies and in the end even changes his mind.

Nobody, said Humboldt, had a destiny. One simply decided to feign one until one came to believe in it oneself. But so many things didn't fit in with it, one had to really force oneself.

Everybody does have a book in them, but in most cases that's where it should stay.

Intimacy isn’t something men talk about.

People thought becoming an adult meant that all your acts had consequences; in fact it was just the opposite.

I never weigh myself. But if I put my trousers on and they don't do up, then I don't eat until I can.

Let the mad find wisdom in their madness for the sane, and let the sane be grateful.

A lot of cities are making a real effort, neighborhood by neighborhood, to make themselves into a place where life can be pretty good.

Those of little faith are of little hatred.

Just studying Buddhism, then meditating and going to Buddhist monasteries, talking to Buddhist monks, combined with the Thai people themselves, changed the way I look at the world.

By including women in decision-making, city governments will be in a better position to fulfill their responsibility to ensure the safety of their residents, especially women and girls.

To be a clergyman, and all that is compassionate and virtuous, ought to be the same thing.