Gao Xingjian

“האדם בעצמו יוצר את ייסוריו.”

“האדם מעריץ את האש כדי להתגבר על פחדו מפני האפלה.”

“לחיים אין מטרה; די לנו בהתקדמות.”

“When I first heard that I had won the prize, I thought that it was something for myself, that it was something personal, recognition of my writings. But there is such a strong reaction from Chinese people in particular. It's been very passionate, overwhelming and passionate, Chinese people from all over the world.”

“When you use words, you're able to keep your mind alive. Writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence.”

“In the history of literature there are many great enduring works which were not published in the lifetimes of the authors. If the authors had not achieved self-affirmation while writing, how could they have continued to write?”

“Since childhood, I'd dreamed of making a film, but producers in France and Germany wanted to make commercial films with chinoiserie. I refused.”

“When I completed writing 'Soul Mountain,' I more or less closed the accounts with China for myself. I was 50 years old when I left, so China is already within me.”

“Many intellectuals feel themselves to be Supermen who are spokesmen for the people. But in my opinion, they're to be pitied. Under Mao's dictatorship, these poor sheep suffered the same fate as everyone else.”

“When fashion sweeps in, artists follow suit. I think this is the malady of contemporary art.”

“Love is so holy, so confusing. It makes a man anxious, tormented. Love, how can I define it?”

“Experience has taught me that any kind of political grouping is oppressive. It's the blind mass that crushes the individual.”

“Freedom is the basic prerequisite for writing.”

“Observing humans and observing oneself yields a clear-minded starting point for literature.”

“Literature transcends national boundaries, racial boundaries. It goes deep into the issues that concern all human beings. That is why, when people read Greek tragedy - it doesn't matter who reads it - they are still moved by it.”

“Literature is higher than politics, if not actually above politics.”

“With the beginning of life, comes the thirst for truth, whereas the ability to lie is gradually acquired in the process of trying to stay alive.”

“Literature hasn't come up with any new themes. The literature of all different times - it's still dealing with how one resolves issues of existence.”

“I don't want to be a strong hero who can save society. I just want to save myself.”

“The destruction of Chinese traditional culture didn't start in 1949. It started long before that, with the succession of revolutions. It was particularly bad during the Cultural Revolution, the destruction of traditional Chinese culture.”