Where can one find a profounder desolation than in the poor child who has lost its mother?

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

The will is never free - it is always attached to an object, a purpose. It is simply the engine in the car - it can't steer

I look upon life as a gift from God. I did nothing to earn it. Now that the time is coming to give it back, I have no right to complain.

Remember I'm an artist. And you know what that means in a court of law. Next worst to an actress

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.

Life would die without poets, and democracy must have its spellbinders.