Jose Saramago
  • The attitude of insolent haughtiness is characteristic of the relationships Americans form with what is alien to them, with others.

  • Being fired was the best luck of my life. It made me stop and reflect. It was the birth of my life as a writer.

  • Americans have discovered fear.

  • Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you're saying you have a political conscience but you don't agree with any of the existing parties.

  • I had no books at home. I started to frequent a public library in Lisbon. It was there, with no help except curiosity and the will to learn, that my taste for reading developed and was refined.