Only by declaring a book completely finished can one start to see how much remains to be done on it.

The study of maps and the perusal of travel books aroused in me a secret fascination that was at times almost irresistible.

Gaffe-focused journalism: revenge of intelligent people who know true evils are out there but lack the access/time to get to them.

We are sad at home and blame the weather and the ugliness of the buildings, but on the tropical island we learn that the state of the skies and the appearance of our dwellings can never on their own underwrite our joy nor condemn us to misery.

Status Anxiety: A worry, so pernicious as to be capable of ruining extended stretches of our lives, that we are in danger of failing to conform to the ideals of success laid down by our society and that we may as a result be stripped of dignity and respect; a worry that we are currently occupying too modest a rung or are about to fall to a lower one.

When Proust urges us to evaluate the world properly, he repeatedly reminds us of the value of modest scenes.

We read the weird tales in newspapers to crowd out the even weirder stuff inside us.