“The fancies that take their monstrous birth from the spinelessness and boredom of usurped wealth bring in their wake every defect ... and though rich men's crimes escape the law, protected as they ...”

“You see, the strangeness of my case is that now I no longer fear the invisible, Im terrified by reality.”

“...the presence of others has become even more intolerable to me, their conversation most of all. Oh, how it all annoys and exasperates me: their attitudes, their manners, their whole way of being!...”

“(Priests) cheapjack merchants selling paradise”

“It is the sheer ugliness and banality of everyday life which turns my blood to ice and makes me cringe in terror.”

“In the course of my life I have had pre-pubescent ballerinas; emaciated duchesses, dolorous and forever tired, melomaniac and morphine-sodden; bankers' wives with eyes hollower than those of suburb...”

“A strange girl, all phosphorous and cantharides, burning with every desire! And burning with every vice!”

“The modern world is not evil; in some ways the modern world is far too good. It is full of wild and wasted virtues. When a religious scheme is shattered...it is not merely the vices that are let lo...”

“To be proud of virtue, is to poison yourself with the Antidote.”

“The cause of every anomaly can be found in woman.”

“Perhaps that was a thing about attractive women: A rejection demanded their respect, made them trust you more.”

“I think Im very blessed to have been raised by so many intelligent and impressive women, and now continuing that on a professional level, having people like Sarah and Nadia to guide me through this...”