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“And as the Demon made an end of his story, he fell back within the cavity of the tomb and laughed. And I could not laugh with the Demon, and he cursed me because I could not laugh.”
(Silence — A Fable, 1938)

“… I got a theory a person ought to do everything it’s possible to do before he dies, and maybe die trying to do something that’s really impossible.”

Who does not remember that, at such a time as this, the eye, like a shattered mirror, multiplies the images of its sorrow, and sees in innumerable far-off places, the woe which is close at hand?
(“The Assignation,” 1834)

“I think what makes me feel sad about the girls I knew growing old is that it forces me to admit, all over again, that my youthful dreams are gone forever. The death of a dream can be, in a way, sadder than that of a living being.”

“Loving someone is like having a mental illness that’s not covered by health insurance,” she said, in a flat tone, like she was reciting something written on the wall.

“If things are not what they seem — and we are forever reminded that this is the case — then it must also be observed that enough of us ignore this truth to keep the world from collapsing.”

“…Have you ever heard of a book, an extremely special book, that is not . . . yes, that is not ‘about’ something, but actually is that something?”

“People can accomplish anything, I thought, if they want it badly enough. There are channels through which reality can become unreal. Or unreality can enter the realm of the real. If we desire it that strongly.”

“There are plenty of things in history that are best left in the shadows. Accurate knowledge does not improve people’s lives. The objective does not necessarily surpass the subjective, you know. Reality does not necessarily extinguish fantasy.”

“In the silence of the woods it felt like I could hear the passage of time, of life passing by. One person leaves, another appears. A thought flits away and another takes its place. One image bids farewell and another one appears on the scene. As the days piled up, I wore out, too, and was remade. Nothing stayed still. And time was lost.”

“…[S]ometimes in life we can’t grasp the boundary between reality and unreality. That boundary always seems to be shifting. As if the border between countries shifts from one day to the next depending on their mood. We need to pay close attention to that movement, otherwise we won’t know which side we’re on.”

“[T]here’s a point in everyone’s life where they need a major transformation. And when that time comes you have to grab it by the tail. Grab it hard, and never let go. There are some people who are able to, and others who can’t.”

“Look deep enough into any person and you will find something shining within.”

“He wasted much time envying his youth. Too many shots from the time of his lost decade Showed him with a backpack looking strong and cheerful against gorgeous backgrounds of mountains or desert, wildflowers or lakes. Where was that, who pressed the button, what year? He was a stranger to himself, a stranger he envied.”

“He was too young to know about possession, to understand that his interest in jazz had threatened to remove him from her sphere of command. At fourteen, how was he to know that, at twenty-five, she too was young?”