“It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud ...”

“A few days later, I found my mother beneath the tree, motionless with excitement, her head turned toward the heavens in which she would allow human religions no place.”

“No one asked you to be happy. Get to work.”

“Be happy. It's one way of being wise”

“What a wonderful life Ive had! I only wish Id realized it sooner.”

“I did not look for her, because I was afraid of dispelling the mystery we attach to people whom we know only casually.”

“But that woman is an encyclopedia!Of all vices, ancient and modern, and terribly interesting to leaf through!”

“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...”