Everyone must imagine his own snakes because no one else's snakes can ever be as awful.

An island can be dreadful for someone from outside. Everything is complete, and everyone has his obstinate, sure and self-sufficient place. Within their shores, everything functions according to rituals that are as hard as rock from repetition, and at the same time they amble through their days as whimsically and casually as if the world ended at the horizon.

It looks rather ordinary," said the Snork. "Unless you consider that a top hat is always somewhat extraordinary, of course.

Smell is important. It reminds a person of all the things he's been through; it is a sheath of memories and security.

It was a particularly good evening to begin a book.

It is still summer, but the summer is no longer alive. It has come to a standstill; nothing withers, and fall is not ready to begin. There are no stars yet, just darkness.

The thing about God, she thought, is that He usually does help, but not until you've made an effort on your own.