I not only lived physically away from my native land, but the values and critical judgments of those closest to me became stranger and stranger.

The vitality of a culture is in its capacity to assimilate foreign influences. The culture that's defensive and closed condemns itself to decadence.

A contemporary artist can use the findings of all epochs and all styles, from the most primitive literary expressions up to the most refined products of the baroque.

Marks of Identity is, among other things, the expression of the process of alienation in a contemporary intellectual with respect to his own country.

The fundamental purpose of a novel like Count Julian is to achieve the unity of object and means of representation, the fusion of treason as scheme and treason as language.

The writer cannot abandon himself simply to inspiration, and feign innocence vis a vis language, because language is never innocent.

In my opinion, the most significant works of the twentieth century are those that rise beyond the conceptual tyranny of genre; they are, at the same time, poetry, criticism, narrative, drama, etc.

In Count Julian I simply proposed to create a text which would allow for diverse levels of reading.

In times when religious or political faith or hope predominates, the writer functions totally in unison with society, and expresses society's feelings, beliefs, and hopes in perfect harmony.

As I began to discover my own truth and endeavored to possess it with CLARITY, I became more and more alienated from that which my companions held, or professed to hold.

My exile was not only a physical one, motivated exclusively by political reasons; it was also a moral, social, ideological and sexual exile.

Sometimesthe things that make you cryare more beautifulthan the thingsthat make you laugh.

Wear your heart upon your sleeves and your soul upon your smiles.

The destruction of this planet would have no significance on a cosmic scale.

I didn't arrive at my understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe through my rational mind.

The only conflict that is possible in Soviet culture is the conflict between good and best.

Whose happiness is so firmly established that he has no quarrel from any side with his estate of life?

Knowledge and know-how are the real sources of value and riches. You can learn anything you need to learn to achieve any goal you can set for yourself.

The majority of casino players leave too much to chance when playing in a casino. To put it bluntly, they don't have a clue as to how to play.

The visual impact of a United States battleship springs from its ability to put Soviet ships on the bottom of the sea and to put devastating firepower ashore - nothing else.

I practice on the acoustic guitar a little bit, but I think I have reached the peak of my talent.