“I think that the reason to live is to learn.”

— Isabel Allende, Conversations with Isabel Allende, 1999 (interview of 1997)

About Isabel Allende

Born 1942

Chilean-American novelist, author of "The House of the Spirits".

“Happiness is not exuberant or noisy, like pleasure or joy; it's silent, tranquil, and gentle.”

“Fear is inevitable, I have to accept that, but I cannot allow it to paralyze me.”

“Silence before being born, silence after death: life is nothing but noise between two unfathomable silences.”

“The more that learn to read the less learn how to make a living.”

“My motto, As I live and learn, is: Dig And Be Dug In Return.”

“The first thing you learn in life is you're a fool.”

“Let us learn from the lips of death the lessons of life.”

“There are noble books but one wants the breath of life sometimes.”

“To live for a time close to great minds is the best kind of education.”