In his heart, he always preferred the actuality of loss to the fear of it. - Yukio Mishima

There's no doubt that he's heading straight for tragedy. It will be beautiful, of course, but should he throw his whole life away as a sacrificial offering to such a fleeting beauty — like a bird in flight glimpsed from a window?

Reiko had not kept a diary and was now denied the pleasure of assiduously rereading her record of the happiness of the past few months and consigning each page to the fire as she did so.

- Death in Midsummer and Other Stories

Prudery is a form of selfishness, a means of self-protection made necessary by the strength of one's own desires.