Actually, however, life begins less by reaching upward, than by turning upon itself. But what a marvelously insidious, subtle image of life a coiling vital principle would be! And how many dreams the leftward oriented shell, or one that did not conform to the rotation of its species, would inspire!

To go upstairs in the word house is to withdraw step by step; while to go down to the cellar is to dream.

It is better to live in a state of impermanence than in one of finality.

Ideas are invented only as correctives to the past. Through repeated rectification of this kind one may hope to disengage an idea that is valid.

Dreaming by the river, I dedicated my imagination to water, to clear, green water, the water that makes the meadows green.

The repose of sleep refreshes only the body. It rarely sets the soul at rest. The repose of the night does not belong to us. It is not the possession of our being. Sleep opens within us an inn for phantoms. In the morning we must sweep out the shadows.

The great function of poetry is to give back to us the situations of our dreams.