There is nothing that man fears more than the touch of the unknown. He wants to <i>see</i> what is reaching towards him, and to be able to recognize … - Elias Canetti

I was never drawn to experiment with language; I take note of such experiments, but avoid them in my own writing. The reason is that the substance of life claims me completely. To indulge in linguistic experiments is to ignore the greater part of this substance, leaving all but a tiny portion untouched and unused, as if a musician were to ceaselessly play an instrument with his little finger only.

Contudo, o sentimento em relação às terras distantes permanece, e o interesse por elas jamais arrefece. Assim, o homem cavouca, insaciável, em épocas passadas e em culturas desconhecidas. A rigidez da própria existência aumenta, e essas épocas e culturas oferecem o instrumento inesgotável para a transformação.

The dead man has no place in Parliament; he cannot bequeath his membership and he can never know for certain who will succeed him after his death.