What does he do, Clarice? What is the first and principal thing he does, what need does he serve by killing? He covets. How do we begin to covet? We begin by coveting what we see every day.

I have no interest in understanding sheep, only eating them.

And be grateful. Our scars have the power to remind us that the past was real.

Human emotions are a gift from our animal ancestors. Cruelty is a gift humanity has given itself.

I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti

You will not persuade me with appeals to my intellectual vanity.

Whenever feasible, one should always try to eat the rude.

You must understand that when you are writing a novel you are not making anything up. It's all there and you just have to find it.

A census taker tried to quantify me once. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a big Amarone. Go back to school, little Starling.

The tragedy is not to die, but to be wasted.

I'm giving serious thought into eating yor wife” - Hannibal Lecter

Death, everyone fears it in one way or another but when I stood in front of it myself, face to face, I felt no fear.

I'm sitting here doing nothing but ageing while my guitar gently weeps

There have been few things in my life which have had a more genial effect on my mind than the possession of a piece of land

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.

There are goods that are outside trade and in the public domain and that should be reserved and protected.

Do not try the parallels in that way: I know that way all along. I have measured that bottomless night, and all the light and all the joy of my life went out there.

Traveling is all very well and good as long as you knew there is a place or person you can call home

If Hamas continues to threaten the security of the state of Israel, I believe Israel has the ability and the capacity to control the borders and cut off the weapons supply.

Write letters to your editors, write to your members of Congress, and write to your news stations.

No human beings, regardless of who they might be, want to look directly at their own shortcomings.