I write because I'm unhappy. I write because it's a way of fighting unhappiness.

In general, I think my freedom of invention is not limited when I use historical characters.

The truths that seem most truthful, if you look at them from all sides, if you look at them close up, turn out to be either half truths or lies.

Violence represents the worst kind of conformism.

One can't fight with oneself, for this battle has only one loser.

The secret to a masterpiece is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.

Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably appears in great literature: that men and women of all nations and places are essentially equal, and only injustice sows among them discrimination, fear, and exploitation.