“I know you're not a man of faith, Edmond, but faith is found when one isn't looking for it and the day will come when your heart, and not your mind, will long for the purification of the soul.”

“Before I know it, I'll be thirty and I'll realise that every day I look less like the person I wanted to be when I was fifteen.”

“The female heart is a labyrinth of subtleties, too challenging for the uncouth mind of the male racketeer. If you really want to possess a woman, you must think like her, and the first thing to do is to win over her soul. The rest, that sweet, soft wrapping that steals away your senses and your virtue, is a bonus.”

“Keep your dreams, you never know when you might need them.”

“Inspiration comes when you stick your elbows on the table, your bottom on the chair and you start sweating. Choose a theme, an idea, and squeeze your brain until it hurts. That's called inspiration.”

“In principle I'm an atheist, although in fact I have a lot of faith”

“Afterwards, once you lost all hope, time began to go faster and the senseless days deadened your soul.”