The true poet for me is a priest. As soon as he dons the cassock, he must leave his family. – Gustave Flaubert
I love my work with a frenetic and perverse love, as an ascetic loves the hair shirt which scratches his belly. – Gustave Flaubert
An author in his book must be like God in the universe, present everywhere and visible nowhere. – Gustave Flaubert
From very early on in my childhood – four, five years old – I felt alien to the human race. I felt very comfortable with thinking I was from another planet, because I felt disconnected – I was very tall and skinny, and I didnt look like anybody else, I didnt even look like any member of my family. – Patti Smith