Well, life is dark, isn't it? Mostly, it's dreadful. At the same time, death is funny too. I mean, look at the fuss we make of it.

Anyone who has grown up in Delhi knows it's horrible.

The more languages you know, the less likely you are to become a terrorist.

We are men without ambition, and all we want is to be left alone, in peace so that we can try and be happy. So few people will understand this simplicity.

I need to have some depth in my characters. That's why they are all Bengalis. I can't imagine writing a book with someone called Saxena as the hero.

Amidst one's daily clutter, one doesn't usually reflect on the splendour of being free because - naturally - one has to get on with the business of living.

So much better to write pen on paper; you can do it anywhere, say, while stuck at the airport.

People should have literary and cultural taste and should not bomb hotels.

It's a huge headache - the more money you have, the more hassles. I find money very uncomfortable.

I feel completely at home in the absurdities of India.

I don't think I would do better books if I wrote full time. I write for amateurish reasons.

I want to be a ripple in the infinite ocean of love.

Write a page a day and you'll have a complete novel in year.

As a seer, I naturally can see the evolutionary potential of a being. But the potential will not necessarily be actualized. A particular being will not necessarily realize their full height.

I think I am quite wicked with roses. I like to gather them, and smell them till they have no scent left.

If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.

Human language appears to be a unique phenomenon, without significant analogue in the animal world.

Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.

It is better to make mistakes than to lie idle.

What you are thinking, what shape your mind is in, is what makes the biggest difference of all.

We have to build the country that we want to see our future children and grandchildren live in.