Realism absorbs the ideal by adding a few small imperfections. Example: it paints a few specks of mud on the white gown of the Lady in the Garden.

Our vices are attempts to combine self-medication and enjoyment.

The past is always waiting to entangle and deflect us.

It is possible to interpret without observing, but not to observe without interpreting.

Alcohol postpones anxiety, then multiplies it.

Seeing my malevolent face in the mirror, my benevolent soul shrinks back.

The greater the privilege, the more hidden the arrogance. The Emperor of China need not exist.