Clay

“I began writing in March of 1978, prodded by a seminal idea: I felt like poisoning a monk.”
― Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

“At most, recognizing that our history was inspired by many tales we now recognize as false should make us alert, ready to call constantly into question the very tales we believe true, because the criterion of the wisdom of the community is based on constant awareness of the fallibility of our learning.”
― Umberto Eco, Serendipities: Language and Lunacy

“Let us forget for a moment that some of these false tales produced positive effects, while others produced horror and shame. All created something, for better or worse. Nothing in their success is inexplicable. What represents a problem is rather the way they managed to replace other tales that today we consider true.”
― Umberto Eco, Serendipities: Language and Lunacy

“His mouth was almost incapable of managing a smile, and altogether he gave the impression of dealing with the pain of existence out of some sort of distasteful duty.”
― Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose