Creativity is an unending exercise in uncertainty.

Russian talk of political evil is as natural as eating.

A man should know about himself two or three things: whether he is a coward; whether he is an honest man or given to lies; whether he is an ambitious man. One should define oneself first of all in those terms, and only then in terms of culture, race, creed.

As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of state.

An object, after all, is what makes infinity private.

After having exhausted all the arguments on behalf of evil, one utters the creed's dictums with nostalgia rather than with fervor.

Were we to choose our leaders on the basis of their reading experience and not their political programs, there would be much less grief on earth. I believe ... that for someone who has read a lot of Dickens to shoot his like in the name of an idea is harder than for someone who has read no Dickens.