I thought that a man can be an enemy of other men, of the moments of other men, but not of a country: not of fireflies, words, gardens, streams of water, sunsets.

So plant your own gardens and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

Being with you and not being with you is the only way I have to measure time.

Don't talk unless you can improve the silence.

I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities I have visited.

I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books.

The worst labyrinth is not that intricate form that can entrap us forever, but a single and precise straight line

The fact is that poetry is not the books in the library . . . Poetry is the encounter of the reader with the book, the discovery of the book.

Nothing is built on stone; all is built on sand, but we must build as if the sand were stone.

I can give you my loneliness, my darkness, the hunger of my heart, I am trying to bribe you with uncertainty, with danger, with defeat.

The original is unfaithful to the translation.

My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.

This is what I want to do with Violet - give her only the good, keep away the bad, so that good is all we ever have around us

Curiosity is a delicate little plant that, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom.

Roger, Tranquility. Be advised there are lots of smiling faces in this room and all over the world. Over.

You only live once, so I try to say yes to everything.

You never should feel like you've grown up because then you've stopped learning and you've stopped getting the best things out of life.

Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others... love yourself and you will be loved.

When young, one learns his craftsmanship, may become a young master, and it is youth that is most auspicious for developing certain skills.

If you can't give me your word of honour, will you give me your promise?

Macau is democratic and free enough.. it's prosperous enough. Why do people need to do this?.