The sands of time are quicksands ... so much can sink into them without a trace.

I feel despised there, for having so little money; also for once having had so much. I never actually had it, of course. Father had it, and then Richard. But money was imputed to me, the same way crimes are imputed to those who've simply been present at them.

You cannot teach somebody to write a masterpiece, but you can certainly teach them how to improve their writing skills. And you can teach them that they can make their own voices more effective by being able to communicate more clearly and forcefully. It makes people feel more capable when they can write - for instance to make a request - of a politician - and when they are able to receive a reply.

But maybe boredom is erotic, when women do it, for men.

we lived in the gaps between the stories

Every aspect of human technology has a dark side, including the bow and arrow.

There's nothing like a shovel full of dirt to encourage literacy.