The wise man does not discriminate; he gathers all the shreds of light, from wherever they may come.

In the construction of Immortal Fame you need first of all a cosmic shamelessness.

History is rich with adventurous men, long on charisma, with a highly developed instinct for their own interests, who have pursued personal power - bypassing parliaments and constitutions, distributing favours to their minions, and conflating their own desires with the interests of the community.

A book is a fragile creature, it suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements and clumsy hands. so the librarian protects the books not only against mankind but also against nature and devotes his life to this war with the forces of oblivion.

Media populism means appealing to people directly through media. A politician who can master the media can shape political affairs outside of parliament and even eliminate the mediation of parliament.

Nothing gives a fearful man more courage than another's fear.

Once you reach your fifties, you have to stop being interested in the present and write only on Elizabethan poets.