That’s what existence means: draining one’s own self dry without the sense of thirst.

Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.

There may be more beautiful times, but this one is ours.

A man is involved in life, leaves his impress on it, and outside of that there is nothing.

All I can do is make the best of what I am, become accustomed to it, evaluate the possibilities, and take advantage of them the best I can.

I am finishing a biography of [Gustave] Flaubert. Because he is the opposite of what I am. One needs to rub up against argument.

What's done at night belongs to the night. In the daytime you don't talk about it.