My great hope would be that Quebec would realize itself fully as a distinct part of Canada, and stay Canadian, bringing to Canada a part of its richness.

Every life is a tragedy, but far more the writer's life, because the more he has to see, the more deeply he understands and feels about life, the less time he has to put it down.

Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?

The more the heart is nourished with happiness, the more it is insatiable.

The life of a writer is tragic: the more we advance, the farther there is to go and the more there is to say, the less time there is to say it.

Curiosity ran unchecked through him, like the wind outside through the deserted streets, along the canal, around the little wooden houses, everywhere, as far as the mountain.

One knows less about one's own destiny than about anything else on earth.