Utterly bleak and black is not the sum of realism. All the other colors are real, too.
Lois McMaster BujoldLike integrity, love of life was not a subject to be studied, it was a contagion to be caught. And you had to catch it from someone who had it.
Lois McMaster BujoldBut pain seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain?
Lois McMaster Bujold