Few things leave a deeper mark on the reader, than the first book that finds its way to his heart.

Driven by a wish to save Tomás from a life of penury and misunderstanding, Fermin had decided that he needed to develop my friend's latent conversational and social skills. Like the good ape he is, man is a social animal, characterized by cronyism, nepotism, corruption, and gossip. That's the intrinsic blueprint for our ethical behavior.

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books is like the greatest, most fantastic library you could ever imagine. Its a labyrinth of books with tunnels, bridges, arches, secret sections - and its hidden inside an old palace in the old city of Barcelona.

A Gentleman's agreement cannot be broken without breaking the person who has entered into it.

I swim against the tide because I like to annoy.

Where he had failed, I would triumph. Where he had lost his way, I would find the path out of the labyrinth.

This cures everything except stupidity, which is an epidemic on the rise.