Let the things that happen on the stage be just as complex and yet just as simple as they are in life. For instance, people are having a meal, just having a meal, but at the same time their happiness is being created, or their lives are being smashed up.

You are right in demanding that an artist approach his work consciously, but you are confusing two concepts: the solution of a problem and the correct formulation of a problem. Only the second is required of the artist.

I confess I seldom commune with my conscience when I write.

Dear, sweet, unforgettable childhood!

Oh, I have now a mania for shortness. Whatever I read - my own or other people's works - it all seems to me not short enough.

When asked, "Why do you always wear black?", he said, "I am mourning for my life.

To believe in God is not hard. Inquisitors, Byron and Arakcheev believed in Him. No, believe in man!