And that was all the part of it - the way you were obliged to live. You stifled a groan, you lied about your love, you deceived your legal wife, and all in the name of honour. That was the damned paradox of it - in order to behave well, you have to behave badly.

Irony ... may be defined as what people miss.

If you’re that clever you can argue yourself into anything.

You lose the world for a glance? Of course you do. That is what the world is for: to lose under the right circunstances.

When we fall in love, we hope - both egotistically and altruistically - that we shall be finally, truly seen: judged and approved. Of course, love does not always bring approval: being seen may just as well lead to a thumbs-down and a season in hell.

Women were brought up to believe that men were the answer. They weren't. They weren't even one of the questions.

History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation.