As desire recedes, the world becomes clear, pale, and empty.
Curiosity is an asset mostly frittered away.
I am invigorated by work, wasted by pleasure.
Staid middle age loves the hurricane passions of opera.
I am forbidden sugar, fat, and alcohol. So hooray, I guess, for oatmeal, lemon juice, and chicken soup.
Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.