My thought has been shaped by books; my desires by pictures.

The beginning of self-knowledge: recognizing that your motives are the same as other people's.

Mistakes are the only universal form of originality.

Fail, and your friends feel superior. Succeed, and they feel resentful.

The aim of literary ambition is to demonstrate one's greatness of soul.

Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.

Malice is always authentic and sincere.

Humor does not rescue us from unhappiness, but enables us to move back from it a little.

After an argument, silence may mean acceptance or the continuation of resistance by other means.

People who abhor solitude may abhor company almost as much.

Some loves are like a vice that has ceased to give pleasure.

I know that I am what I am. But I am not sure what I am.

People believe that photographs are true and therefore cannot be art.

Self-reform is the only kind that works.

Think carefully before asking for justice. Mercy might be safer.

Hatred observes with more care than love does.

Don't stare into a mirror when you are trying to solve a problem.

The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.

Reality is the name we give to our disappointments.

Rescue someone unwilling to look after himself, and he will cling to you like a dangerous illness.

Fastidious taste makes enjoyment a struggle.

When a man bores a woman, she complains. When a woman bores a man, he ignores her.

The man in the street is always a stranger.

The horse stares at its captor, barely remembering the free kicks of youth.