If geniuses can sometimes make mistakes, cannot the rest of us on occasion be geniuses?

While reading writers of great formulatory power — Henry James, Santayana, Proust — I find I can scarcely get through a page without having to stop to record some lapidary sentence. Reading Henry James, for example, I have muttered to myself, "C’mon, Henry, turn down the brilliance a notch, so I can get some reading done." I may be one of a very small number of people who have developed writer’s cramp while reading.

I am married to someone I love.

Generalization, especially risky generalization, is one of the chief methods by which knowledge proceeds... Safe generalizations are usually rather boring. Delete that "usually rather." Safe generalizations are quite boring.

In recompense, envy may be the subtlest - perhaps I should say the most insidious - of the seven deadly sins.

Envy is never general, but always very particular - at least envy of the kind one feels strongly.

I am basically a complainer and all the grounds for complaint have been swept out from under me.