“Writing is a lonely job, unless you're a drinker, in which case you always have a friend within reach.”

“We are all wonderful, beautiful wrecks. That's what connects us--that we're all broken, all beautifully imperfect.”

“Enamorarse sabiendo que todo está perdido y no hay ninguna esperanza.”

“The only thing a person of my age can do is fall in love secretly, silently, likeI had done with Mariana. Fall in love knowing that all is lost and there is no hope.”

“We are all hypocrites. We cannot see ourselves or judge ourselves the way we see and judge others.”

“Ana Luisa me contó su versión de Quo Vadis? y es como para ponerse a llorar. Su falta de estudios resulta un problema. No obstante, puede remediarse y además veo en ella cualidades que la compensan. No tengo derecho a criticarla. Amo a Ana Lluisa y lo demás no importa”

“The novel since its origins has been the privatization of history... the history of private life ... and in that sense every novel is an historical novel....”