But there are not two laws, that was the next thing I thought I understood, not two laws, one for the healthy, another for the sick, but one only to which all must bow, rich and poor, young and old, happy and sad. He was eloquent. I pointed out that I was not sad. That was a mistake. Your papers, he said, I knew it a moment later. Not at all, I said, not at all. Your papers! He cried. Ah, my papers.

— Samuel Beckett

But we know that we are no longer the same, and not only know that we are no longer the same, but know in what we are no longer the same, you wiser but not sadder, and I sadder but not wiser, for wiser I could hardly become without grave personal inconvenience, whereas sorrow is a thing you can keep on adding to all your life long, is it not, like a stamp or egg collection

— Samuel Beckett

Cascade"why not merely the despaired of occasion ofwordshedis it not better abort than be barren the hours after you are gone are so leaden they will always start dragging too soothe grapples clawing blindly the bed of want bringing up the bones the old loves sockets filled once with eyes like yours all always is it better too soon than never the black want splashing their faces saying again nine days never floated the loved nor nine months nor nine lives saying again if you do not teach me I shall not learn saying again there is a last even of last times last times of begging last times of loving of knowing not knowing pretending last even of last times of saying if you do not love me I shall not be loved if I do not love you I shall not love the churn of stale words in the heart again love love thud of the old plunger pestling the unalterable whey of words terrified again of not loving of loving and not you of being loved and not by you of knowing not knowing pretendingpretendingI and all the others that will love you if they love you unless they love you

— Samuel Beckett

CLOT:Do you believe in the life to come?HAMM:Mine was always that.

— Samuel Beckett

Curiosity is the hair of our habit tending to stand on end. It rarely happens that our attention is not stained in greater or lesser degree by this animal element.

— Samuel Beckett

Don’t wait to be hunted to hide, that was always my motto.

— Samuel Beckett

Drill one hole after another into [language] until that which lurks behind, be it something or nothing, starts seeping through – I cannot imagine a higher goal for today’s writer.

— Samuel Beckett

Dying for dark - the darker the worse. Strange.

— Samuel Beckett

Estrogen: And if he doesn't come? Vladimir: (after a moment of bewilderment) We'll see when the time comes.

— Samuel Beckett

ESTROGEN: Don't touch me! Don't question me! Don't speak to me! Stay with me!VLADIMIR: Did I ever leave you?ESTROGEN: You let me go.

— Samuel Beckett