Pío Baroja Quotes

Even though we have evidence that we are to live constantly in darkness and gloom, without purpose and without end, we must have hope.

History is always a fantasy without scientific basis, and when an impregnable structure is attempted to be built and a consequence placed upon it, there is a danger that a fact may change and the entire historical framework collapses.

When one gets old, they prefer rereading to reading.

It is the innocent and not the wise who solve difficult issues.

Literature cannot reflect all the darkness of life. The main reason is that literature chooses, and life does not.

In old age, all you do is repeat yourself.

The one who succeeds is always likable.

I believe that people, when they are intelligent and completely normal, should not pretend to be strange and odd, because it becomes absurd and contrived.

Falsehood and dissimulation are useful within social life. I have not possessed this condition, and I believe that not having it has harmed me more than anything else. Also, not having solemnity has slightly harmed me when dealing with both acquaintances and strangers.

The music is an art that is beyond the bounds of reason; the same can be said about whether it is beneath or above it.

The world, for us, is representation, as Schopenhauer said; it is not an absolute reality, but a reflection of essential ideas.

The people have so little imagination that they eagerly collect from each other these small adornments of conversation. They are like ragpickers or collectors of clichés.