“A house without books must be sad. Even sadder a house of books without people.”

“The trouble with a great sadness is that it doesn't fit inside your body.”

“See what's inside a drop of water. The whole seed of the universe. Come, come. See what's inside a drop of blood. The composition of life. It's all there. Hate as well. We approach the mystery of life, but it's impossible to understand the mystery of hate. The kind of hate that causes people not only to kill, but to want to erase you from the census of births. I have to concentrate on that mystery. Read everything there is. It has to be in a drop of blood. It has to have its chemistry.”

“España! E escoitáronse só as voces das autoridades e dos gardas: Unha! España! Os presos seguían en silencio. Berraron os mesmos: Grande! España! E entón atronou toda a prisión: Libre!”

“When the bandwagon presents itself, you have to jump onto it.”

“La musica doveva avere il volto di una donna da seddure. Chiudevo gli occhi per immaginarla, per dare colore ai suoi capelli e ai suoi occhi, ma compresi che finché dal mio sax fossero usciti soltanto ragli d' asino, quella ragazza non sarebbe mai esistita.”

“A human's best training is with his shadow. You have to fight with your shadow.”