“Dr Weiss, at forty, knew that her life had been ruined by literature”

“Boundaries keep people out mine served only to keep me in. ”

“Literature for me was a magnificent destiny for which I was not yet fully prepared. 76”

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

“Women share their sadness, thought Edith. Their joy they like to show off to one another. Victory, triumph over the odds, calls for an audience. And that air of bustle and exigence sometimes affect...”

“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...”

“I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. (xxvi)”

“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.”

“Birthdays could be such a bummer when you were older than the country you lived in.”

“A righteous wife is a respectful wife.”

“A respectful woman is a righteous woman.”

“I refuse to believe that all men are pigs and women competing whores.”