The Art of the Romance, though warning us that it is providing fictions, opens a door into the Palace of Absurdity, and when we have lightly stepped inside, slams it shut behind us.

A book is a fragile creature. It suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements, clumsy hands.

Fools are in great demand, especially on social occasions. They embarrass everyone but provide material for conversation. In their positive form, they become diplomats.

Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.

We live for books.

I feel that I am a scholar who only with the left hand writes novels.

Never affirm, always allude: allusions are made to test the spirit and probe the heart.