Men resemble great deserted palaces: the owner occupies only a few rooms and has closed-off wings where he never ventures.

Every novel worthy of the name is like another planet, whether large or small, which has its own laws just as it has its own flora and fauna.

Being for every man the touchstone of faith and love, the Eucharist, like on the Cross, divided the minds as soon as it was announced... Nothing engages a man as much as does the Eucharist

Did you ever have a conversation with someone who misunderstood everything you had to say? It's exhausting, and the ironic part is that the more you try and explain yourself, the more mixed up things become. Your best friend knows when you're kidding, venting, and tired. He or she knows you and therefore doesn't read into the things you say.

If the flame inside you goes out, the souls that are next to you will die of cold.

Human love is often but the encounter of two weaknesses.

I believe that only poetry counts ... A great novelist is first of all a great poet.