“Without mysteries, life would be very dull indeed. What would be left to strive for if everything were known?”

“If you didn't do anything that wasn't good for you it would be a very dull life. What are you gonna do? Everything that is pleasant in life is dangerous. Have you noticed that? I'd like to find the bastard that thought that one up.”

“How peaceful life would be without Love, Adso. How Safe. How Tranquil. And how Dull.”

“If I had followed my better judgment always, my life would have been a very dull one.”

“Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.”

“The world would be a sad place without mysteries.”

“Reading is like looking through several windows which open to an infinite landscape…. For me life without reading would be like being in prison, it would be as if my spirit were in a straightjacket; life would be a very dark and narrow place.”

“Life would be very pleasant if it were not for its enjoyments.”

“A good deal is said these days about being oneself. It is supposed to be healthy to be oneself. While it is a little hard for me to understand how one could be anything else, I suppose what is meant is that one should not strive to become anything other than what he is. This strikes me as a very dull way of living; in fact, I would be inclined to argue that all of us would be better off if we set out to be something other than what we are. Well, I’m not so sure we would all be better off - perhaps it would be more accurate to say life would be a lot more interesting.”

“Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist”