I discovered very quickly that criticism is a form of optimism, and that when you are silent about the shortcomings of your society, you're very pessimistic about that society. And it's only when you speak truthfully about it that you show your faith in that society.

Love can isolate us from everything around us. But in its absence, we can be filled with the fear that something comparable exists.

I discovered very quickly that criticism is a form of optimism, and that when you are silent about the shortcomings of your society, you're very pessimistic about that society. And it's only when you speak truthfully about it that you show your faith in that society.

You start by writing to live. You end by writing so as not to die.

I don't think any good book is based on factual experience. Bad books are about things the writer already knew before he wrote them.

Culture consists of connections, not of separations: to specialize is to isolate.

In the name of certainty, the greatest crimes have been committed against humanity.