Vladimir Nabokov

"Truth is the breath of art."

"I write with the precision of a poet and the soul of a painter."

"The more an art becomes complex, the more necessary are the simpler virtues."

"You can make ribbons of cities, but you cannot make cities of ribbons."

"A book is a heart that only beats in the chest of another."

"I have no psychological make-up for a writer."

"The notes of madness are many, in fact infinite."

"Talent is the most deceptive thing in the world."

"All families are unhappy in the same way."

"The writer's job is to tell the truth."

"Consciousness is the only activity of the mind which cannot be entirely eliminated."

"A man who writes a book is either wise or foolish."

"The novel is the highest form of human expression."

"Time means nothing to the imagination."

"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe."

"Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."

"My task is the task of the poet."

"The essence of life is its transience."

"Writers are made, not born."

"Every writer has his own way of seeing the world."

"Art needs no justification."

"Language is the greatest invention of man."

"Beauty is the greatest adventure."

"The secret of good writing is to say something new."

"Imagination is the beginning of creation."

"Love is the most complex of all human emotions."

"The true artist is he who understands the purpose of beauty."

"All books are about people, and all people are books."

"The writer's role is to illuminate the human condition."

"Strength is the ability to endure."