"Compassion for the good man who is ridiculed and is unaware of his own worth generates sympathy in the reader. And this ability to arouse compassion is the secret of humor."

" For a long time there was one idea that had been troubling me, but I was afraid to make a novel out of it, because it was a very difficult idea, and I was not ready to tackle it, although it is fascinating and I'm in love with it. The idea is is to portray a perfectly good man. I believe there can be nothing more difficult than this, especially in our time."

"First of all, it will be something passionate and moving..."

"A criminal as a rule never possesses much willpower, nor can he be said to be always in his right mind. That is why the shameful thought in his mind is so quickly converted into a wicked deed. But no sooner has the crime been committed than repentance begins to gnaw at his heart like a serpent, and the man will die not becaues of the crime he has committed, but because he has destroyed what is best in him and what still entitles him to be called a human being."

"Do you remember, I told you once about a novel I had intended to write in the form of a confession and which I decided to put off at the time becaues I felt that I had not had enough experience for such a work? Now I have decided to start on it at once. First of all, it will be something passionate and moving, and secondly, I am going to put all my heart into this novel; I was thinking of it while I was lying on my bunk in prison, at a time of great mental suffering and self-analysis. The confession will finally establish my name as a writer."