It is in this unearthly first hour of spring twilight that earth's almost agonized livingness is most felt. This hour is so dreadful to some people that they hurry indoors and turn on the lights.

All your youth you want to have your greatness taken for granted; when you find it taken for granted, you are unnerved.

What must novel dialogue . . . really be and do? It must be pointed, intentional, relevant. It must crystallize situation. It must express character. It must advance plot. During dialogue, the characters confront one another. The confrontation is in itself an occasion. Each one of these occasions, throughout the novel, is unique.

The paradox of romantic love -- that what one possesses, one can no longer desire -- was at work.

Spoilt pleasure is a sad, unseemly thing; you can only bury it.

very young people are true but not resounding instruments.

The wish to lead out one's lover must be a tribal feeling; the wish to be seen as loved is part of one's self-respect.