Andreas Corelli on Friendship

“I don’t trust people who say they have a lot of friends. It’s a sure sign that they don’t really know anyone.”
– Andreas Corelli in Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Angel’s Game, Act One: “City of the Damned”, Chapter 13

Pedro Vidal on Envy

“Envy is the religion of the mediocre. It comforts them, it soothes their worries, and finally it rots their souls, allowing them to justify their meanness and greed until they believe these to be virtues. Such people are convinced that the doors of heaven will be opened only to poor wretches like themselves who go [...]

David Martín on Writing

“A writer never forgets the first time he accepted a few coins or a word of praise in exchange for a story. He will never forget the sweet poison of vanity in his blood and the belief that, if he succeeds in not letting anyone discover his lack of talent, the dream of literature will [...]

Robert Stadler on Greatness

“…do you know the hallmark of the second-rater? It’s resentment of another man’s achievement. Those touchy mediocrities who sit trembling lest someone’s work prove greater than their own — they have no inkling of the loneliness that comes when you reach the top. The loneliness of an equal — for a mind to respect and [...]

Robert Stadler on People

“Men are not open to truth or reason. They cannot be reached by rational argument. The mind is powerless against them. Yet we have to deal with them. If we want to accomplish anything, we have to deceive them into letting us accomplish it. Or force them. They understand nothing else. We cannot expect their [...]

Francisco d’Anconia on Honesty

“No, I don’t like people who speak or think in terms of gaining anybody’s confidence. If one’s actions are honest, one does not need the predated confidence of others, only their rational perception. The person who craves a moral blank check of that kind, has dishonest intentions, whether he admits it to himself or not.”
– [...]