Every essay - the subject matter of every essay - is ultimately about the essayist; him or herself. That ultimately, every essayist is writing about his or her view of the world.
Alan LightmanIt is a world of impulse. It is a world of sincerity. It is a world in which every word spoken speaks just to that moment, every glance given has only one meaning, each touch has no past or no future, each kiss is a kiss of immediacy.
Alan LightmanWith infinite life comes an infinite list of relatives. Grandparents never die, nor do great grandparents, great-auntsโฆand so on, back through the generations, all alive and offering advice. Sons never escape from the shadows of their fathers. Nor do daughters of their mothers. No one ever comes into his ownโฆSuch is the cost of immortality. No person is whole. No person is free.
Alan LightmanI wouldn't overall say that "The Diagnosis" is a funny book. I would say that it has comic moments. It's a modern tragedy.
Alan Lightman