Men without joy seem like corpses.

I am afraid of dying-but being dead, oh yes, that to me is often an appealing prospect.

The development of the national spirit in its present form leads into blind alleys. Some condition must be found which preserves the life of the nation, but rules out the fatal rivalry among nations.

If all the people who have been hurt by the war were to exclude joy from their lives, it would almost be as if they had died.

To this day I do not know whether the power which has inspired my works is something related to religion, or is indeed religion itself.

It is my duty to voice the sufferings of humankind, the never-ending sufferings heaped mountain high. This is my task, but it is not an easy one to fulfill.

Look at life with the eyes of a child.