Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Modern influential 101 sayings

Sayings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I've always been a journalist. I've always been a reporter.

Various interviews throughout his life — Interview, often highlighting his journalistic background.
Controversial Unverifiable

I don't believe in magic. I believe in reality.

Uncertain — Attributed, often cited as a counterpoint to the magical realism in his work, emphasizing its roots …
Controversial Unverifiable

I've always been fascinated by power.

Various interviews throughout his life — Interview, reflecting on a recurring theme in his novels.
Controversial Unverifiable

I don't think I'm a genius. I think I'm a worker.

Uncertain — Attributed, a humble self-assessment of his dedication to craft.
Controversial Unverifiable

I don't believe in revolutions. I believe in evolution.

Uncertain — Attributed, often cited as his perspective on societal change.
Controversial Unverifiable

I've always been a pessimist.

Uncertain — Attributed, often cited as a personal outlook despite the vibrant nature of his prose.
Controversial Unverifiable

I don't believe in happiness. I believe in joy.

Uncertain — Attributed, suggesting a distinction between fleeting happiness and profound joy.
Controversial Unverifiable

I've always been a dreamer.

Uncertain — Attributed, reflecting the imaginative core of his literary work.
Controversial Unverifiable

I don't believe in destiny. I believe in chance.

Uncertain — Attributed, often cited as his philosophical stance on fate versus randomness.
Controversial Unverifiable

I don't believe in God. I believe in literature.

Uncertain — Attributed, a provocative statement suggesting literature as a primary source of meaning or truth fo…
Controversial Unverifiable

A true friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

Undated — Attributed, often cited in interviews and speeches
Humorous Unverifiable

The first condition for immortality is death.

1967 — One Hundred Years of Solitude
Humorous Unverifiable

The world will always be divided into people who know and people who don't.

1967 — One Hundred Years of Solitude
Humorous Unverifiable

I learned that the best way to get something done is to begin.

Undated — Attributed, often cited in interviews and speeches
Humorous Unverifiable

He was still too young to know that the heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past.

1985 — Love in the Time of Cholera
Humorous Unverifiable

She would have been a great woman if she had not been a saint.

1967 — One Hundred Years of Solitude
Humorous Unverifiable

The only difference between a good writer and a bad writer is that a good writer knows how to lie.

1981 — Interview, 'The Art of Fiction No. 69'
Humorous Unverifiable

I don't think there's any problem with writing about a woman's feelings.

1982 — Interview with Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza
Humorous Unverifiable

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Undated — Attributed, often cited in interviews and speeches
Humorous Unverifiable

Happiness is not a state of mind, but a way of traveling.

Undated — Attributed, often cited in interviews and speeches
Humorous Unverifiable