Vladimir Nabokov Quotes

“A wise reader reads the book of genius not with his heart, not so much with his brain, but with his spine. It is there that occurs the telltale tingle...”

“A writer should have the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist.”

“Curiosity is insubordination in its purest form.”

“Do not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards.”

“For I do not exist: there exist but the thousands of mirrors that reflect me. With every acquaintance I make, the population of phantoms resembling me increases. Somewhere they live, somewhere they multiply. I alone do not exist.”

“I mean, I have the feeling that something in my mind is poisoning everything else.”

“I think it is all a matter of love; the more you love a memory the stronger and stranger it becomes.”

“I was weeping again, drunk on the impossible past.”

“Knowing you have something good to read before bed is among the most pleasurable of sensations.”

“Let all of life be an unfettered howl.”

“Let all of life be an unfettered howl. Like the crowd greeting the gladiator. Don't stop to think, don't interrupt the scream, exhale, release life's rapture.”

“Life is a great surprise. I do not see why death should not be an even greater one.”

“Literature and butterflies are the two sweetest passions known to man.”

“My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music.”

“Our imagination flies – we are its shadow on the earth.”

“Some might think that the creativity, imagination, and flights of fancy that give my life meaning are insanity.”

“The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible.”