You don't win a game by hitting the ball out of the court.

Never trust girls who let themselves be touched right away. But even less those who need a priest for approval.

I wondered what on earth she saw in me that could make her want to befriend me, other than a pale reflection of herself, an echo of solitude and loss. In my ..reveries, we were always two fugitives riding on the spine of a book, eager to escape into worlds of fiction and second hand dreams

Old age is the lubricant of belief. When death knocks at the door, skepticism flies out the window. A serious cardiovascular fright and a person will even believe in Little Red Riding Hood.

In principle I'm an atheist, although in fact I have a lot of faith

If you think you’re the only person for whom life is painful, you’re wrong. And if you don’t mind letting yourself die like a dog, at least have the decency to remember that there are those of us who do care – although, to tell the truth, I don’t see why?

I can't die yet, doctor. Not yet. I have things to do. Afterwords I'll have a whole lifetime in which to die.