Before we take to the sea, we walk on land. . . Before we create, we must understand. . .

How do you tell a valuable French book?' 'First there are the pictures. Then it is a question of the quality of the pictures. Then it is the binding. If a book is good, the owner will have it bound properly. All books in English are bound, but bound badly. There is no way of judging them.

People fall in love, but have to climb out.

This is a good place," he said. "There's a lot of liquor," I agreed.

Why, darling, I don't live at all when I'm not with you.

I had gone to no such place but to the smoke of cafes and nights when the room whirled and you needed to look at the wall to make it stop, nights in bed, drunk, when you knew that that was all there was, and the strange excitement of waking and not knowing who it was with you, and the world all unreal in the dark and so exciting that you must resume again unknowing and not caring in the night, sure that this was all and all and all and not caring.

The real reason for not committing suicide is because you always know how swell life gets again after the hell is over.