The past is the only dead thing that smells sweet.

The secret of success is to be in harmony with existence, to be always calm to let each wave of life wash us a little farther up the shore.

There is no pain equal to that which two lovers can inflict on one another. This should be made clear to all who contemplate such a union. The avoidance of this pain is the beginning of wisdom, for it is strong enough to contaminate the rest of our lives.

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.

The true function of a writer is to produce a masterpiece and no other task is of any consequence.

No one over thirty-five is worth meeting who has not something to teach us, something more than we could learn for ourselves, from a book.

The books I haven't written are better than the books other people have.