I read less and less. I have not forgiven books for their failure to tell me the truth and make me happy.
The aphorism is a slippery plaything.
The family is on its way out; couples go next; then no more keeping cats or parrots.
Old men feel a slightly reluctant affection for one another.
Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.
The Ancient Mariner seizes the guest at the wedding feast and will not let go until he has told all his story: the prototype of the bore.