“Works of art are not born in flashes of inspiration but in daily fidelity.”

“I'm the only true artist Rome has known - the only one, believe me - to match his inspiration with his deeds.CHEREA: That's only a matter of having the power.CALIGULA: Quite true. Other artists create to compensate for their lack of power. I don't need to make a work of art; I live it.”

“A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession.”

“In order to be created, a work of art must first make use of the dark forces of the soul”

“All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant's revolving door.”

“I would like to be able to breathe— to be able to love her by memory or fidelity. But my heart aches. I love you continuously, intensely.”

“A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.”