This commonplace cycle of falling asleep and waking, in darkness, under private cover, with another creature, a pale soft tender mammal, putting faces together in a ritual of affection, briefly settled in the eternal necessities of warmth, comfort, safety, crossing limbs to draw nearer - a simple daily consolation, almost too obvious, easy to forget by daylight.

This is the pain-pleasure of having newly adult children; they're innocent and ruthless in forgetting their sweet old dependence.

Not everything people did could be in a correct, logical order, especially when they were alone.

Let his name be cleared and everyone else adjust their thinking. He had put in time, now they must do the work. His business was simple. Find Cecilia and love her, marry her and live without shame.

A story lives transformed by a gesture not made or a word not spoken

Most of humanity gets by without reading novels or poetry, and no one would deny the richness of their thoughts.

When there are no consequences, being wrong is simply a diversion.