The images, the language, of pornography, and romance are alike; monotonous and mechanically seductive, quickly leading to despair.

What she wants to do if she can get the time to do it, is not so much to live in the past as to open it up and get one good look at it".

Never underestimate the meanness in people's souls... Even when they're being kind... especially when they're being kind.

The thing is to be happy, no matter what. Just try that. You can. It gets to be easier and easier. It's nothing to do with circumstances. You wouldn't believe how good it is. Accept everything and then tragedy disappears. Or tragedy lightens, anyway, you're just there, going along easy in the world.

It's as if tendencies that seem most deeply rooted in our minds, most private and singular, have come in as spores on the prevailing wind, looking for any likely place to land, any welcome.

We say of some things that they can't be forgiven, or that we will never forgive ourselves. But we do-we do it all the time.

The complexity of things - the things within things - just seems to be endless. I mean nothing is easy, nothing is simple.