Gustave Flaubert

The artist must be in his work as God is in creation, invisible and all-powerful; one must sense him everywhere but never see him. ”

The better a work is, the more it attracts criticism; it is like the fleas who rush to jump on white linens. ”

You can calculate the worth of a man by the number of his enemies, and the importance of a work of art by the harm that is spoken of it. ”

The future is the worst thing about the present. ”