two things i read and liked enough to write down

'The greatest thoughts are accessible to the least of men. Why do we have to struggle so? Because understanding is a function not of ratiocination but of the psyche's stage of growth. There, Brother Ass, is the point at which we are at variance. No amount of explanation can close the gap. Only realization. One day you are going to wake up from your sleep shouting with laughter. Ecco!'

- Pursewarden in 'Clea' by Durrell

'It amazes Elisabeth that I'm not ambitious; but that's precisely why. I don't want to cut out a special place for myself in the world. I feel that I am already in it'

- Francoise in 'She Came to Stay' by de Beauvoir