de la bibliothèque

Each of us wears a shadow. But just now it is summer again

No man who values originality will ever be original. But try to tell the truth as you see it, try to do any bit of work as well as it can be done for the work's sake, and what men call originality will come unsought.

If we take a close look at what contemporary men and women expect from priests, we will see that, in the end, they have but one great expectation: they are thirsting for Christ.

The heart heals but never completely.

People tell boring lies about politics, God, and love. You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, What is your favorite book?

'Can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?' She blinked, startled, the smiled. 'Real good.' 'You can see it good from the East Side, too.'

I don't want to be their tragic, lovely lacquer figure. I want to live.

And if that is the case, then why should I carry this love with me to the other world? Why not give to you what is yours?

There is nothing to say . . . It is a gift. There. Something to give to you. If I had the necklace or a book of paintings I would give you that instead. I would give you that in addition to my love.

Tell me I don't know you, Sam thought. Tell me I don't know you when I could draw both sides of this hand, your hand, from memory.

She could not see his humanity, and Noa realized that this was what he wanted most of all: to be seen as human.

All her life, Sunja had heard this sentiment from other women, that they must suffer—suffer as a girl, suffer as a wife, suffer as a mother—die suffering. Go-saeng—the word made her sick. What else was there besides this?

And in his listening, his heart opened wide and then wider still.

Unlikely, but perhaps, perhaps, perhaps . . .

We had made a fetish out of our misfortune, fallen in love with it.

Words? This hurts too much.

Every new event—everything I did for the rest of my life—would only separate us more and more: days she was no longer a part of, an ever-growing distance between us. Every single day for the rest of my life, she would only be further away.