Quotes from Isabel Allende

She never imagined a scenario in which her love was not returned with the same depth of feeling, for to her it was impossible to believe that a love of such magnitude could have stunned only her. The most elementary logic and justice indicated that somewhere in the city he was suffering the same delicious torment.

The point was not to die, since death came anyway, but to survive, which would be a miracle.

Nothing can grow in the shade of secrets, she would say, love needs light and space to flourish.

How many times have I told you not to believe everything you hear? Seek truth for yourself.

After a few months without writing, months I've lived turned outward... I fear going deaf, not being able to hear the silence.

Nothing strong can be built on a foundation of lies and omissions.

You only have what you give. It's by spending yourself that you become rich.

January 8 has been a lucky day for me. I have started all my books on that day, and all of them have been well received by the readers. I write eight to ten hours a day until I have a first draft, then I can relax a little. I am very disciplined. I write in silence and solitude. I light a candle to call inspiration and the muses, and I surround myself with pictures of the people I love, dead and alive.

But I don't want more things than I need, either.

When talking about human rights, in truth we're referring to men's rights. If a man is beaten and deprived of his freedom, it's called torture. When a woman endures the same, it's called domestic violence and is still considered a private matter in most of the world.

This is the kind of detail that is forbidden in literature; in a book, no one would dare combine a full moon with Frank Sinatra. The problem with fiction is that it must seem credible, while reality seldom is.

It is common knowledge that no man that women flock to boasts of his conquests. Those who do, lie.