Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cann... - Gustave Flaubert

"One mustn't ask apple trees for oranges, France for sun, women for love, life for happiness."

"An author in his book must be like God in the universe, present everywhere and visible nowhere."

"The one way of tolerating existence is to lose oneself in literature as in a perpetual orgy."

"Writing is a dog’s life, but the only one worth living."

"Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work."