Start with the notion that yours is the sole responsibility unless there's powerful evidence to the contrary
Julian BarnesDiscovering, for example, that as witnesses to your life diminish, there is less corroboration, and therefore less certainty, as to what you are or have been. [p. 65]
Julian BarnesDo not imagine that Art is something which is designed to give gentle uplift and self-confidence . Art is not a brassiere. At least, not in the English sense. But do not forget that brassiere is the French word for life-jacket.
Julian BarnesWhen you read a great book, you donโt escape from life, you plunge deeper into it. There may be a superficial escape โ into different countries, mores, speech patterns โ but what you are essentially doing is furthering your understanding of lifeโs subtleties, paradoxes, joys, pains and truths. Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic.
Julian Barnes