John Fowles

The most important questions in life can never be answered by anyone except oneself.

There comes a time in each life like a point of fulcrum. At that time you must accept yourself. It is not any more what you will become. It is what you are and always will be.

You are like a porcupine. When the animal has its spines erect, it cannot eat. If you do not eat, you will starve. And your prickles will die with the rest of your body.

Ponieważ gwiazda wybucha i tysiąc światów takich jak nasza umiera, wiemy, że ten świat zaistniał. To jest uśmiech: to, czego mogło nie być, jest.

Because a star explodes and a thousand worlds like ours die, we know this world is. That is the smile: that what might not be, is.

I am going to explain to you why we went to war. Why mankind always goes to war. It is not social or political. It is not countries that go to war, but men. It is like salt. Once one has been to war, one has salt for the rest of one's life.

All perfect republics are perfect nonsense. The craving to risk death is our last great perversion. We come from night, we go into night. Why live in night?