Luigi Pirandello

"Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think."

"The tragedy is that we construct a sense of self that others seem to confirm, but which may be separated from our inner nature by an abyss."

"When the characters are really alive before their author, the author does nothing but follow them in their action, in their words, in the situations which they suggest to him."

"I have discovered that it is necessary to be a little mad to live."

"It is the privilege of the dead to bite the dust."

"We are all gods if we think we are gods."

"To be or not to be, that's not really the question."

"The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow."

"A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which he believes in."

"I mirror myself a thousand times."

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination."

"One cannot know anything if one holds oneself aloof from the game."

"Even if by chance you stood near me, how could you ever believe that what I say is true?"

"The truth is not always the same as the majority decision."

"When we are not able to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere."

"I think that if one could remain always the same, it would be easier."

"Knowledge always comes with a price."

"A fact is like a sack which won't stand up when it is empty."

"We are all suffering from a kind of madness, born of culture."

"Art is the highest task and the truly metaphysical activity of this life."

"Each of us has a world of experience, thoughts, and feelings unique unto ourselves."

"The world will never be perceptive enough to appreciate fully what we are."

"It seems absurd that the solution lies in being aware of it."

"Fiction is like a spider web, attached ever so lightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners."

"One cannot always be a hero, but one can always be human."

"Every true man must invent his own life."

"Beware the authority of writers."

"When the crisis comes to a head, the man of letters can play but a poor part in the world."

"The important thing is not to be cured, but to live with one's ailments."

"Theatre must be about change."