“O sucesso só é por inteiro quando não altera quem somos e não nos afasta dos nossos verdadeiros amigos.”

“Success is complete only when it does not change who we are and neither pulls us away from our true friends.”

“People are not cactuses, they need plenty of water and, when talking about friendship, the water is our time.”

“Real relationships are the product of time spent, which is why so many of us have so few of them.”

“I think deeply about things and want others to do likewise. I work for ideas and learn from people. I don’t like excluding people. I’m a perfectionist, but I won’t let that get in the way of publication. Except for education and entertainment, I’m not going to waste my time on things that won’t have an impact. I try to be friends with everyone, but I hate it when you don’t take me seriously. I don’t hold grudges, it’s not productive, but I learn from my experience. I want to make the world a better place.”

“Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy ready-made things in the shops. But since there are no shops where you can buy friends, men no longer have any friends.”

“It is the fate of most men who mingle with the world, and attain even the prime of life, to make many real friends, and lose them in the course of nature. It is the fate of all authors or chroniclers to create imaginary friends, and lose them in the course of art. Nor is this the full extent of their misfortunes; for they are required to furnish an account of them besides.”

“When a character comes to life, it’s like meeting a new friend for the first time.”

“Surround yourself with people that inspire and encourage positive change in your life. Build a team in which you can work together to support each other and build better lives.”

“Your favorite occupation? Travel in contested territory. Hard-working writing and reading when safely home, in the knowledge that an amusing friend is later coming to dinner.”

“How can I expect readers to know who I am if I do not tell them about my family, my friends, the relationships in my life? Who am I if not where I fit in the world, where I fit in the lives of the people dear to me?”

“Be careful who you choose to allow into your circle, our behaviour and thought patterns mirror those we hang around with.”

“Work freely and rollickingly as though you were talking to a friend who loves you. Mentally (at least three or four times a day) thumb your nose at all know-it-alls, jeerers, critics, doubters.”

“There’s nothing typical about Genuine Love. To be loved authentically is to be blessed beyond measure. Only a fool would take advantage of something that so many people yearn for.”