I think of reading a book as no less an experience than travelling or falling in love.

Man's memory shapes Its own Eden within

What man of us has never felt, walking through the twilight or writing down a date from his past, that he has lost something infinite?

A man sets out to draw the world. As the years go by, he peoples a space with images of provinces, kingdoms, mountains, bays, ships, islands, fishes, rooms, instruments, stars, horses, and individuals. A short time before he dies, he discovers that the patient labyrinth of lines traces the lineaments of his own face.

I'm not interested in the fact that a writer may label himself as being intellectual or anti-intellectual. l'm really interested in the stuff he's turning out.

To arrange a library is to practice in a quiet and modest way the art of criticism.

So plant your own gardens and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.