Sometimes a cigar is just a smoke and a story's just a story
He had been (Thinking? Praying?) It was all the same thing.
Symbolism exists to adorn and enrich, not to create an artificial sense of profundity.
It was the kiss by which all the others of his life would be judged and found wanting.
If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered.
We fool ourselves so much we could do it for a living.