A bibliophile has approximately the same relationship to literature as a philatelist to geography.

I had a terrible vision: I saw an encyclopedia walk up to a polymath and open him up.

A good stylist should have narcissistic enjoyment as he works. He must be able to objectivize his work to such an extent that he catches himself feeling envious and has to jog his memory to find that he is himself the creator. In short, he must display that highest degree of objectivity which the world calls vanity.

My language is the common prostitute that I turn into a virgin.

Truth is a clumsy servant that breaks the dishes while washing them.

When I read, it is not acted literature; but what I write is written acting.

I saw a poet chase a butterfly in a meadow. He put his net on a bench where a boy sat reading a book. It's a misfortune that it is usually the other way round.