it never really occurred to her that literary men, if they like women at all, do not want literary women but girls.
Muriel SparkIf you want to concentrate deeply on some problem, and especially some piece of writing or paper-work, you should acquire a cat. Alone with the cat in the room where you work ... the cat will invariably get up on your desk and settle placidly under the desk lamp ... The cat will settle down and be serene, with a serenity that passes all understanding.
Muriel Spark