In those days, we imagined ourselves as being kept in some kind of holding pen, waiting to be released into our lives. And when the moment came, our lives -- and time itself -- would speed up. How were we to know that our lives had in any case begun, that some advantage had already been gained, some damage already inflicted? Also, that our release would only be into a larger holding pen, whose boundaries would be at first undiscernible.
Julian BarnesThe ways in which a book, once read, stays (and changes) in the reader's mind are unpredictable.
Julian BarnesLoving humanity means as much, and as little, as loving raindrops, or loving the Milky Way. You say that you love humanity? Are you sure you arenโt treating yourself to easy self-congratulation, seeking approval, making certain youโre on the right side?
Julian BarnesThis was long before the term 'single-parent family' came into use; back then it was a 'broken home'.
Julian Barnes