Old and Wise

. . . I want you to know that the hackneyed accusations leveled against us are entirely unfounded. These are the facts:

1. The reason we don’t like anything innovative is that there is truly nothing new worth liking.
2. We treat most men like morons because, indeed, most men are morons, not because we’re poisoned by anger, unhappiness or some other flaw in character. (Granted, treating these people better would be more refined and sensible.)
3. The reason I forget and confuse so many names and faces – except those of the miniaturists I’ve loved and trained since their apprenticeships – is not senility, but because these names and faces are so lackluster and colorless as to be hardly worth remembering.

– Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red .