In the West you have every opportunity for civilization to triumph.

The Constitution doesn't mention rain.

At certain periods of history it is only poetry that is capable of dealing with reality by condensing it into something graspable, something that otherwise wouldn't be retained by the mind.

Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those-in the official capacity as well as the self-appointed. Suffer them if you can't escape them, but once you have steered clear of them, give them the shortest shrift possible. Above all, try to avoid telling stories about the unjust treatment you received at their hands; avoid it no matter how receptive your audience may be. Tales of this sort extend the existence of your antagonists.

What should I say about life? That it's long and abhors transparence.

I got caught up in the proletariat the way Marx describes it.

There's nothing as dear as the sight of ruins.