In Tereza's eyes, books were the emblems of a secret brotherhood

It takes so little, so infinitely little, for a person to cross the border beyond which everything loses meaning: love, convictions, faith, history. Human life -- and herein lies its secret -- takes place in the immediate proximity of that border, even in direct contact with it; it is not miles away, but a fraction of an inch.

By giving the love act a name, if only an innocent little word like, "it," he paved the way for other words, words that would reflect physical love as in a set of mirrors.

People fascinated by the idea of progress never suspect that every step forward is also a step on the way to the end.

The stupidity of people comes from having an answer for everything. The wisdom of the novel comes from having a question for everything.

Laughing deeply is living deeply.

Dogs do not have many advantages over people, but one of them is extremely important: euthanasia is not forbidden by law in their case; animals have the right to a merciful death.