"There is a line of poetry, a sentence in a fable, a word in an essay, by which my existence is justified; find that line, and immortality is assured."
"In the dark, with the windows lit and the rows of books glittering, the library is a closed space, a universe of self-serving rules that pretend to replace or translate those of the shapeless universe beyond."
"If every library is in some sense a reflection of its readers, it is also an image of that which we are not, and cannot be."
"Ultimately, the number of books always exceeds the space they are granted."
"I like to imagine that, on the day after my last, my library and I will crumble together, so that even when I am no more I'll still be with my books."
"If justice takes place, there may be hope, even in the face of a seemingly capricious divinity."