The esthete stands in the same relation to beauty as the pornographer stands to love, and the politician stands to life.

It so often happened to me that someone who shared my opinion kept the larger share for himself that I am now forewarned and offer people only ideas.

To write a novel may be pure pleasure. To live a novel presents certain difficulties. As for reading a novel, I do my best to get out of it.

Through my satire I make little people so big that afterwards they are worthy objects of my satire and no one can reproach me any longer.

The streets of Vienna are paved with culture, the streets of other cities with asphalt.

Language is the only chimera whose illusory power is endless, the inexhaustibility which keeps life from being impoverished. Let men learn to serve language.

To me it's still a greater miracle when a fly flies than when a human being undertakes to do so.