“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice...”

“Es la guerra. Y no me vuelva a decir Aurelito, que ya soy el coronel Aureliano Buendía.”

“El coronel Aureliano Buendía entendió, que la vejez, no es mas que un pacto honrado con la soledad.”

“In the beginning, when the world was new and nothing had a name, my father took me to see the ice.”

“Muchos años después, frente al pelotón de fusilamiento, el coronel Aureliano Buendía había de recordar aquella tarde remota en que su padre lo llevó a conocer el hielo.”

“Tell him,' the colonel said, smiling, 'that a person doesn’t die when he should but when he can.”

“Tell me something, old friend: why are you fighting?"What other reason could there be?" Colonel Gerineldo Marquez answered. "For the great Liberal party."You're lucky because you know why," he answered. "As far as I'm concerned, I've come to realize only just now that I'm fighting because of pride."That's bad," Colonel Gerineldo Marquez said.Colonel Aureliano Buendia was amused at his alarm. "Naturally," he said. "But in any case, it's better than not knowing why you're fighting." He looked him in the eyes and added with a smile:Or fighting, like you, for something that doesn't have any meaning for anyone.”