Books, too, begin like the week – with a day of rest in memory of their creation. The preface is their Sunday.

Like ultraviolet rays memory shows to each man in the book of life a script that invisibly and prophetically glosses the text.

The more circumspectly you delay writing down an idea, the more maturely developed it will be on surrendering itself.

Of all the ways of acquiring books, writing them oneself is regarded as the most praiseworthy method.

To be happy is to be able to become aware of oneself without fright.

Work on good prose has three steps: a musical stage when it is composed, an architectonic one when it is built, and a textile one when it is woven.

The only way of knowing a person is to love them without hope.

Quotations in my work are like wayside robbers who leap out armed and relieve the stroller of his conviction.

There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.

The concept of progress must be grounded in the idea of catastrophe. That things are 'status quo' is the catastrophe

All human knowledge takes the form of interpretation.

Nothing of importance happened today.

I think the American people in many cases want to transform our energy system.

I start laughing every time because the media talks to me like I'm finishing my career and I only have one year left and time is running out.

Cockroaches and socialites are the only things that can stay up all night and eat anything.

Life should always be like this. ... Like lingering over a good meal.

Babies should be classified as an antidepressant. It's pretty hard to be in a bad mood around a 5-month-old baby.

You can listen to what everybody says, but the fact remains that you've got to get out there and do the thing yourself.

That's a long way of saying no, I'm always too bound up in thinking about the characters in whatever I'm working on and trying to make good to dwell on characters from previous books.

A successful life is expensive; it will cost you something to become a champion.

I wanted him like I wanted air to breathe. Not a choice- a necessity.