The world is governed by institutions that are not democratic - the World Bank, the IMF, the WTO.

A writer is a man like any other: he dreams. And my dream was to be able to say of this book, when I finished: 'This is a book about Alentejo.'

Without the faintest possibility of finding a job, I decided to devote myself to literature: it was about time to find out what I was worth as a writer.

No human being can achieve all he or she desires in this life except in dreams, so good night all.

The only time we can talk about death is while we're alive, not afterwards.

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

In matters of feeling and of the heart, too much is always better than too little.