People might ask me, What do you propose instead? I propose nothing. I am a mere novelist, I just write about the world as I see it. It is not my job to transform it. I cannot transform it all by myself, and I wouldn't even know how to. I limit myself to saying what I believe the world to be.

As so often happens, the thing left undone tires you most of all, you only feel rested when it has been accomplished.

Everything in this world can volunteer some reply, what takes up time is posing the questions.

In general, fakirs, like scribes and potters, are sitting down, when he's standing up, a fakir is just like an other man, and sitting down, he'll be smaller than the others.

Words were not given to man in order to conceal his thoughts.

Age carries with it a double load of guilt.

Earthenware is like people, it needs to be well treated.