In my room I'd barely closed my eyes when the blonde from the movie house came along and sang her whole song of sorrow just for me. I helped her put me to sleep, so to speak, and succeeded pretty well... I wasn't entirely alone... It's not possible to sleep alone.

Almost every desire a poor man has is a punishable offence.

For the poor of this world, two major ways of expiring are available: either by the absolute indifference of your fellow-men in peace-time, or by the homicidal passion of these same when war breaks out.

Life is filigree work. What is written clearly is not worth much, it's the transparency that counts.

I hadn't found out yet that mankind consists of two very different races, the rich and the poor. It took me ... and plenty of other people . . . twenty years and the war to learn to stick to my class and ask the price of things before touching them, let alone setting my heart on them.

There is no rest for the humble except in despising the great, whose only thought of the people is inspired by self-interest or sadism.

People don't deserve the restraint we show by not going into delirium in front of them.