“Because the world is so full of death and horror, I try again and again to console my heart and pick the flowers that grow in the midst of Hell.”

“What stops me from taking myself seriously, even though I am essentially a serious person, is that I find myself extremely ridiculous, not in the sense of the small-scale ridiculousness of slap-stick comedy, but rather in the sense of ridiculousness that seems intrinsic to human life and that manifests itself in the simplest actions and the most extraordinary gestures.”

“Good writers indulge their audience; great writers know better.”