"Modesty and conscientiousness receive their reward only in novels. In life they are exploited and then shoved aside."

"After all, I had every reason to be content. I was not so badly off really; I had work, I was strong, I did not tire …"

"Birthdays weigh heavily on one's self-esteem. Early in the morning especially."

""Karl," we christened him—Karl, the Road Spook"

"Keep things at arm's length, Köster used to say. If you let anything come too near you want to hold on to it. And the…"

""Rum," said I—happy to have found something I could talk about—"rum has very little to do with taste. It isn't just a…"

"He looked at me sideways. "You mean, and then mixed things up a bit? Never apologise. Never talk. Send flowers. No le…"

"The day of great dreams for the future of mankind was past. The busy-bodies, the self-seekers triumphed. Corruption .…"

"What's piety but the sense of guilt? People want to square off all the things they have wished and done to the belove…"

"In times of realism be romantic, that's the trick. Opposites attract."