Feeling the inevitable claim of the this desert, he experienced a desire to throw off his civilized costume, hurl himself upon Josephina, either succumb, or return to Guadalajara, where men could only complain of having too many buttons to button or unbutton...

It would not be until darkness had taken indisputable control over the land, until the flames of the bonfire created an unreal world of shadows, until tequila and mescal untied men from their somber selves.

We have been living through a time of sorrow. Our seed remains seed. Our nostrils are dusty.

Someday men will learn to irrigate and spread fertilizer instead of praying for fertility.

Lopez made sandals out of one tire. He sold them at ten cents each, because people sometimes needed only one.

Poverty in western Mexico is an Unconditional Sentence.

The world is in me and you are not even in the world yet.

He would have been careful not to violate his conscience in any way that might keep him from devoting his full attention to the sin he had decided to commit. Pedro was not really very different from all men, at least in that. Not very different from the bank teller who makes sure to give every customer exact change, even while he is embezzling.

The history of our country has taught us, above all, the virtue of patience. It will be many generations before we can have the conditions we seek.

Pity womankind, but never a woman.

My eyes are my greatest sin.

We should not scorn those whose fear is greater than our own.

A heroic, losing battle! I'm tired of brave men who die. There's nothing pretty about losing.

The United States is democratic because its people live in conformity. It is the perfect country for mice.

Throughout world history, all freedom has been no more than repetitious abolishment of what has already been abolished. There is no end to the killing of weeds.

We are born with our father's names. We are not responsible for their failures. We are responsible for what they made us believe in. That is our only obligation. And it is even then a choice which we may sometimes be wise to ignore.

In the distance, mongrel dogs were howling out the coyote portion of their ancestry. All the sounds of the night seemed to pass through a hollow tunnel of indefinite length.

Out of the mouths of babes comes only bubbles. Out of the mouths of men like me, only babble.

Outside, he had a sudden feeling that at moments there was too much light for human eyes. It caused men to feel weak and befuddled.

Such a brute should underneath all his braggart tricks, his viciousness, his vileness, be a coward. But I am convinced that he was not. Because even cowardice requires a certain degree of sensitivity, and a certain value for life.

The best way to avoid becoming a scapegoat is to find one.

It seems to be Latin American destiny to always have the United States say 'amen.

Like all vain men, he had moments of unreasonable confidence.