“The dreams were off on a trip. Helena went as far as the train station with them. She bade them farewell from the platform, waving a handkerchief”

“Helena dreamed about the keepers of the fire. The poorest old women had stored it away in suburban kitchens and had only to blow very gently on their palms to rekindle the flame”

“Bacteria and viruses were the most effective allies.”

“The world,' he revealed, 'is a heap of people, a sea of tiny flames.'Each person shines with his or her own light. No two flames are alike. There are big flames and little flames, flames of every colour. Some peoples flames are so still they don't even flicker in the wind, while others have wild flames that fill the air with sparks. Some foolish flames neither burn nor shed light, but others blaze with life so fiercely that you can't look at them without blinking and if you approach, you shine in fire.”

“Recordar: To remember; from the Latin records, to pass back through the heart”

“Latin America is the region of open veins. Everything from the discovery until our times, has always been transmuted into European--or later--United States-- capital, and as such has accumulated on distant centers of power. Everything: the soil, its fruits nad its mineral-rich depths, the people and their capacity to work and to consume, natural resources and human resources.”

“For sailors who love the wind, memory is a good port of departure.”