Disgust at having to talk about oneself is what distinguishes novelistic talent from lyric talent.

In the political jargon of those days, the word "intellectual" was an insult. It indicated someone who did not understand life and was cut off from the people. All the Communists who were hanged at the time by other Communists were awarded such abuse. Unlike those who had their feet solidly on the ground, they were said to float in the air. So it was fair, in a way, that as punishment the ground was permanently pulled out from under their feet, that they remained suspended a little above the floor.

I want you to be weak. As weak as I am.

Seeing is limited by two borders: Strong light, which blinds, and total darkness.

The border between good and evil is terribly fuzzy.

The very beginning of Genesis tells us that God created man in order to give him dominion over fish and fowl and all creatures. Of course, Genesis was written by a man, not a horse. There is no certainty that God actually did grant man dominion over other creatures. What seems more likely, in fact, is that man invented God to sanctify the dominion that he usurped for himself over the cow and the horse.

The more vast the amount of time we've left behind us, the more irresistible is the voice calling us to return to it.