There are some fundamental values it's impossible to be wrong about.

I prefer insomnia to anaesthesia.

I vividly remember the stories my grandfather told me about the carnage of the First World War, which people tend to forget was one of the worst massacres in human history.

It's the job of intellectuals and writers to cast doubt on perfection.

I live quietly at home among my family and friends.

But democracy isn't a state of perfection. It has to be improved, and that means constant vigilance.

People with lots of doubts sometimes find life more oppressive and exhausting than others, but they're more energetic - they aren't robots.

But I don't think I have any particular talent for prediction, because when you have three or four elements in hand, you don't have to be a genius to reach certain conclusions.

Eco sees the intellectual as an organizer of culture, someone who can run a magazine or a museum. An administrator, in fact. I think this is a melancholy situation for an intellectual.

Perfection spawns doctrines, dictators and totalitarian ideas.

I don't want to promote my own image either. I don't like going on television or mixing in literary circles.

Take no duty of the Guard lightly. Friends must not be enemies Just as enemies must not be friends.Discerning the two is a life's work.

Being angry, resentful, or saddened by rejection can suck the sweetness out of acceptance.

Maturity is when we can differentiate between our wants and needs and treat them as such.

I drink because I wish to multiply my sufferings.

There isn't a single human being who hasn't plenty to cry over, and the trick is to make the laughs outweigh the tears.

Music is, to me, proof of the existence of God.

The greatest miracle of all, the human being.

I've never seen anyone sleep with their head hanging off the back of a wooden chair before - was the couch not comfortable enough for you?

You are brave, kicking a chained prisoner. They must sing heroic ballads about you on winter nights!" (Alanna)

Connecticut is in my blood.