Un hombre que lee, que piensa o que calcula, pertenece a la especie y no al sexo; en sus mejores momentos llega a escapar de lo humano. - Marguerite Yourcenar

I have no children, nor is that a regret. To be sure, in time of weakness and fatigue, when one lacks the courage of one’s convictions, I have sometimes reproached myself for not having taken the precaution to engender a son, to follow me. But such a vain regret rests upon two hypotheses, equally doubtful: first, that a son necessarily continues us, and second, that the strange mixture of good and evil, that mass of minute and odd particularities which make up a person, deserves continuation.

Toute loi trop souvent transgressée est mauvaise: c'est au législateur à l'abroger ou à la changer.

The written word has taught me to listen to the human voice, much as the great unchanging statues have taught me to appreciate bodily motions. On the other hand, but more slowly, life has thrown light for me on the meaning of books.