The soldier is convinced that a certain indefinitely extendable time period is accorded him before he is killed, the burglar before he is caught, men in general, before they must die. That is the amulet which preserves individuals — and sometimes populations — not from danger, but from the fear of danger, in reality from the belief in danger, which in some cases allows them to brave it without being brave. Such a confidence, just as unfounded, supports the lover who counts on a reconciliation, a letter.
Marcel ProustWe are at times too ready to believe that the present is the only possible state of things.
Marcel ProustLike everybody who is not in love, he thought one chose the person to be loved after endless deliberations and on the basis of particular qualities or advantages.
Marcel ProustA cathedral, a wave of a storm, a dancer's leap, never turn out to be as high as we had hoped.
Marcel Proust