The most horrible thing is not a government that stages public executions, but a government that secretly disposes of its victims.

The most painful thing in life is to wake up from a dream and find no way out. Dreamers are fortunate people. If no way out can be seen, the important thing is not to awaken the sleepers.

I naturally believe there will be a future, but I do not waste my time imagining its radiant beauty. ... It seems to me that we ought to think first about the present. Even if the present is desperately dark, I do not wish to leave it. Will tomorrow be free from darkness? We'll talk about that tomorrow.

But a people unable to reform will not be able to preserve its old culture either.

Creation, even when it is a mere outpouring from the heart, wishes to find a public. By definition, creation is sociable. Yet it can be satisfied with merely one single reader: an old friend, a lover.

I have a dream that I will fulfill. And nothing else will distract me from my path.

I entreat fresh visions from the painters. Be lavish with your vermilion to portray the mountains in the spring.