"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you... They're freeing your soul. ... if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it, that's all. So don't worry, okay?" ~ Jacob's Ladder



"A man writes because he is tormented, because he doubts. He needs to constantly prove to himself and the others that he's worth something. And if I know for sure that I'm a genius? Why write then? What the hell for?"
- Stalker 1980



“But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if
evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows
disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the
shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings.
Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because
of your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid.”
― Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita



“Sometimes the only way to start over in life is to burn down the house.”
― Teddy Wayne, Apartment



“The Smiths are singing and someone says "Turn that gay angst music off.”
― Bret Easton Ellis, The Rules of Attraction

“What does that mean know me, know me, nobody ever knows anybody else, ever! You will never know me. ”
― Bret Easton Ellis, The Rules of Attraction

“I'd get confused and write down things just to write them down and I came to this realization that I didn't do enough things to keep a datebook.”
― Bret Easton Ellis, Less Than Zero

“It was not a triumphal return. Home, as I had known it, was gone.”
― Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

“I don't know what I shall do. I just want to go away and look at people and think.”
― Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio

“Many people must live and die alone, even in Winesburg.”
― Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio