How quickly the apparently solidly laid foundation of one's existence could crumble.

It was good, really, that this external world still existed, if only as a place of refuge.

This perfume was not like any perfume known before. It was not a scent that made things smell better... it was completely new, capable of creating a whole world, a magical, rich world, and in an instant you forgot all the loathsomeness around you and felt so rich, so at ease, so free, so fine.

He who ruled scent ruled the hearts of men.

...talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything.

Bathed in sweat and trembling with agitation, no, not with agitation, but with fear, for he finally admitted it to himself: it was naked fear that had seized him, and in admitting it he grew calmer and his thoughts clearer.

He succeeded in being considered totally uninteresting. People left him alone. And that was all he wanted.