The most despicable humans are the ones who always feel virtuous and look down on the rest of the world.

We exist as long as somebody remembers us.

I decided that my existence would be one of books and silence.

There are worse prisons than words.

In those days, Christmas still retained a certain aura of magic and mystery. The powdery light of winter, the hopeful expressions of people who lived among shadows and silence, lent that setting a slight air of promise in which at least children and those who had learned the art of forgetting could still believe.

I always felt that I was a writer, that was what I had to do.

You young people never say anything. And us old folks don't know how to stop talking.