The translator of prose is the slave of the author, and the translator of poetry is his rival.

The fatal mistake we make is looking for a paradise that endures...This obsession with what lasts causes us to overlook many a fleeting paradise.

...she studies to be equal in a world that is no longer surprised at anything

Men can be pitiless towards a woman whose body has eluded them, particularly if this is thanks to their own cowardice.

Their own life together was like a subtle watercolor sketch, invisible to other people. They gave the world what it required of them and for the rest of the time were content to be forgotten.

The loudspeaker on the wall crackles, hisses, and suddenly announces, in astonishingly soothing tones, that a train is going to be delayed. An ocean swell of sighs ripples through the waiting room.

Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness.

Each second of every time has its own story and history to be filed.

Sometimes, to protect a secret we will say it so openly that most will not suspect the truth of what we are saying.

The more women walk around in sweat pants, the harder it is to tell who's out jogging and who's running away from a mugger.

Faithfully caring for the poor and needy is a reflection of spiritual maturity.

Having a messy coat closet should not be a big deal in a full life, and yet there's something about getting control of that coat closet that's surprisingly satisfying.

To live one's love and hatred, to live that which one is means defeat, resignation, and death. The crimes of society, the hell that man has made or man become unconquerable cosmic forces.

A ball player has to be kept hungry to become a big leaguer. That's why no boy from a rich family has ever made the big leagues.

There is no binary division to be made between what one says and what one does not say; we must try to determine the different ways of not saying things.

For he that but conceives a crime in thought, Contracts the danger of an actual fault.