An old mans memories, like his bones, grow sharp with age and show their true shapes.

Religion is organized to satisfy and guide the soul -- politics does the same thing for the body.

It is the tragedy of the world that no one knows what he doesn't know - and the less a man knows, the more sure he is that he knows everything.

To forgive is wisdom, to forget is genius.

A novel should be an experience and convey an emotional truth rather than arguments.

The truth is that life is hard and dangerous; that he who seeks his own happiness does not find it; that he who is weak must suffer; that he who demands love will be disappointed; that he who is greedy will not be fed; that he who seeks peace will find strife; that truth is only for the brave; that joy is only for him who does not fear to be alone; that life is only for the one who is not afraid to die.

I write the big scenes first, that is, the scenes that carry the meaning of the book, the emotional experience.