In the light, we read the inventions of others; in the darkness we invent our own stories.
Alberto ManguelIf every library is in some sense a reflection of its readers, it is also an image of that which we are not, and cannot be.
Alberto ManguelThere is a line of poetry, a sentence in a fable, a word in an essay, by which my existence is justified; find that line, and immortality is assured.
Alberto ManguelEvery reader has found charms by which to secure possession of a page that, by magic, becomes as if never read before, fresh and immaculate.
Alberto ManguelIt used to be that readers were relegated because they considered themselves far above society, and so the metaphor of the ivory tower developed. Now there's still this idea that the reader doesn't take part in the social game and in politics, the res publica, but for other reasons: he doesn't do it because he's not making any money.
Alberto Manguel