“Of course, the spectacle of two people's happiness is always something of a magnet for the unclaimed.”

“The essence of romantic love is that wonderful beginning, after which sadness and impossibility may become the rule.”

“Accountability in friendship is the equivalent of love without strategy.”

“Existentialism is about being a saint without God; being your own hero, without all the sanction and support of religion or society.”

“Time misspent in youth is sometimes all the freedom one ever has.”

“I was a teacher most of my life, which I loved. I had a very happy working life, and when I retired, I thought I must do something, and I've always read a lot of fiction - you learn so much from fiction. My sentimental education came mostly from fiction, I should say, so I thought I'd try.”

“No blame should attach to telling the truth.”

“Always let them think of you as singing and dancing.”

“All good fortune is a gift of the gods and ... you don't win the favor of the ancient gods by being good but by being bold.”

“Not everyone is born to fulfill an heroic role. The only realistic ambition is to live in the present. And sometimes, quite often in fact, this is more than enough to keep one busy. Time, which was once squandered, must now be given over to the actual, the possible, and perhaps that evanescent hope of a good outcome which never deserts one, and which should never be abandoned.”

“I suppose what one wants really is ideal company and books are ideal company.”