When a person hasn't in him that which is higher and stronger than all external influences, it is enough for him to catch a good cold in order to lose his equilibrium and begin to see an owl in every bird, to hear a dog's bark in every sound.

You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible.

[Six principles that make for a good story:] 1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of a political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality: flee the stereotype; 6. compassion.

Country acquaintances are charming only in the country and only in the summer. In the city in winter they lose half of their appeal.

It is easy to be a philosopher in academia, but it is very difficult to be a philosopher in life.

I can only regard with bewilderment an educated man who is also religious

I should think I'm going to be a perpetual student.