Painting is literature in colors. Literature is painting in language.

Life can give everything to whoever tries to understand and is willing to receive new knowledge.

An educated person must learn to act justly, beginning, first of all, with his thoughts, then later in his deeds. That is what it means to be educated.

It's proper that people have friends, friendships without self-interest. Without friends, life is too lonely.

You must first of all think justly. Don’t sit in judgment over others when you don’t know the truth of the matter.

My words, my writing, my actions—these have never been for myself alone, either directly or indirectly. There is no such thing as an artist who creates art only for himself. That is masturbation.

Let us see whether it is the New Order or me who will be the loser before Indonesian history. I have won. The New Order has fallen and my writings have been translated into 40 languages.

The love I knew was from books.

Every book that is banned is a badge of honor.

I'll do as I please. My mind is not to be imprisoned.

The fracture of pencil still useful, but the fracture of soul, we couldn't use it, Mister.

When someone uses the power of their love, they feel strong, courageous, and enthusiastic.

And there were the warm spaces in the music I loved the most, openings through which I could enter and lay my burdens down. There, behind the groove and riding on the melody, I was complete and free.

Whoever gulps down wine as a horse gulps down water is called a Scythian.

The pagan religion, which prohibited only some of the grosser crimes, and which stopped the hand but meddled not with the heart, might have crimes that were inexplicable.

Character is the impulse reined down into steady continuance.

Bisexuality is not so much a cop-out as a fearful compromise.

I think one of the reasons our court system wants to remove The 10 Commandments is because The 10 Commandments reminds us we are sinners.

I had a pleasant time with my mind, for it was happy.

A sunrise or sunset can be ablaze with brilliance and arouse all the passion, all the yearning, in the soul of the beholder.

I exercise strong self control. I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.