“The moment you stop to think about whether you love someone, you've already stopped loving that person forever.”

“Man...heats up like a lightbulb: red hot in the twinkling of an eye and cold again in a flash. The female, on the other hand...heats up like an iron. Slowly, over a low heat, like tasty stew. But t...”

“One loves truly only once in a lifetime, Julian, even if one isn’t aware of it.”

“Most of us have the good or bad fortune of seeing our lives fall apart so slowly we barely notice.”

“There are no second chances in life, except to feel remorse.”

“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone ru...”

“Self-confidence and self-will are strength for sacred accomplishments.”

“The Lord is my strength.”

“I even made poor Louis take me on Crusade. How's that for blasphemy? I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn.....”