Marcel Proust

"The only thing worse than being gossiped about is not being gossiped about."

"Desire is so powerful that it causes us to see that which we wish to see."

"The past is hidden somewhere outside the realm, beyond the reach of the intellect."

"Every reader finds himself; the book is a mere looking glass."

"So long as we love, we serve; so long as we are loved by others, I would almost say that we are indispensable."

"The time is a coral reef of moment where the present and past both live."

"If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more."

"Artistic growth is, more than it is anything else, a refining of the sense of truthfulness."

"In his younger days a man dreams of possessing the heart of the woman whom he loves; later, the feeling that he possesses the heart of a woman may be enough."

"The visions of the night do often come true."

"Existence is strange and wonderful."

"The universe is a work of art produced by God."

"Our passions shape our books; repose writes them for us."

"A change in the weather is enough to recreate the world and ourselves."

"The minute we cease to be in the presence of our beloved, passion loses those elements which sustain it."

"There is no better time to think of the past than the present moment."

"Style is a matter of instinct."

"The intermittences of the heart are the secret of human life."

"The real life is the life we do not lead."

"We cannot love anyone to the point where we can establish their worth."

"Suffering has been stronger teachers than joy."

"The minute we cease to be in love, we grow lonely, even if surrounded by people."

"Beauty is a form of genius that is higher than genius."

"The beautiful things we write should come from the places we have suffered."

"A book is a dream we enter through the eyes."

"Only through art can we emerge from ourselves and know another's view of the universe."

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing."

"We have not received wisdom; we must discover it ourselves."

"The only mystery worth exploring is the mystery within ourselves."

"To read is to permit someone else to guide us by the hand."