A deception that elevates us is dearer than a host of low truths.

Thank you, darling, for learning to play chess. It is an absolute necessity for any well organized family. (in a letter to his wife)

I’ve lived to bury my desires, And see my dreams corrode with rust; Now all that’s left are fruitless fires That burn my empty heart to dust.

Sad that our finest aspiration, Our freshest dreams and meditations, In swift succession should decay, Like Autumn leaves that rot away.

My whole life has been pledged to this meeting with you.

I want to understand you, I study your obscure language.

Try to be forgotten. Go live in the country. Stay in mourning for two years, then remarry, but choose somebody decent.