In any of my pages in any of my books may life a perfect account of my secret experience of the world.

Every reader exists to ensure for a certain book a modest immortality. Reading is, in this sense, a ritual of rebirth.

The love of libraries, like most loves, must be learned.

If justice takes place, there may be hope, even in the face of a seemingly capricious divinity.

One book calls to another unexpectedly, creating alliances across different cultures and centuries.

Deserted libraries hold the shades of writers who worked within, and are haunted by their absence.

Entering a library, I am always stuck by the way in which a certain vision of the world is imposed upon the reader through its categories and its order.

I like to imagine that, on the day after my last, my library and I will crumble together, so that even when I am no more I'll still be with my books.

Ultimately, the number of books always exceeds the space they are granted.

Unpacking books is a revelatory activity.

If every library is in some sense a reflection of its readers, it is also an image of that which we are not, and cannot be.

Plan strategically and strike it once to win. You can achieve maximum dues with minimum dice if only you are willing to clearly calculate and throw your efforts with optimism!

You're allowed to practice humility while also owning your greatness. Don't you dare minimize your greatness.

I was in a convent for a year.

As for earthquakes, though they were still formidable, they were so interesting that men of science could hardly regret them.

I'm not a prejudice person, and I've worked with many male legislators and some have been excellent for us, so I'm not speaking against a class of people.

...it was like an examination paper that asks grammar, when what you want to be asked is Kings of England.

I do think that Magna Carta and international law are worth paying some attention to.

The only reason to buy a paper book any longer is to own it and cherish it and remember it and tell a story about it.

I try my hardest to not let hate mail influence me - because anybody can put out hate, it takes a much stronger person to put out themselves.

If the soft machine works, don't fix it. If it works, don't fix it.