There is no truth. There is only perception.

One arrives at style only with atrocious effort, with fanatical and devoted stubbornness.

I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything, and finally that what one calls conscience is only inner vanity.

You must write for yourself, above all. That is your only hope of creating something beautiful.

The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it is like the fleas who rush to jump on white linens.

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