"If you think you have wronged me by giving me your friendship, and occasionally admitting me to the enjoyment of your company and conversation, when all hopes of closer intimacy were vain—as indeed you always gave me to understand—if you think you have wronged me by this, you are mistaken; for such favours, in themselves alone, are not only delightful to my heart, but purifying, exalting, ennobling to my soul; and I would rather have your friendship than the love of any other woman in the world!”

I was struck by this for two reasons; very often, say, in Austen, while we can tell there's an element of feedback loop (bad people making each other worse and good people making each other better), it is not usually the reason why hero falls in love with heroine. Elizabeth Bennet's fine eyes are the representation of both her beauty and her intelligence but Darcy does not say/think that a reason for his attraction is that she makes him better (she does, of course).

i know everyone loves baby seals, but sometimes i really am blown away by their whimsy. they took a teddy bear and made it a mermaid. i feel very wonderful knowing we live on the same planet as puppy mermaid teddies

Two conclusions to be drawn from this picture:

it happened again and I got a picture this time