I took a deep breath, however, and followed my rule of never speaking frankly to women in moments of emotion. No good ever comes of this. - Iris Murdoch

Time can divorce us from the reality of people, it can separate us from people and turn them into ghosts. Or rather it is we who turn them into ghosts or demons. Some kinds of fruitless preoccupations with the past can create such simulacra, and they can exercise power, like those heroes at Troy fighting for a phantom Helen.

And she did seem then to go to sleep instantly: the quick flight into oblivion of the chronically unhappy person.

I may add here that one of the secrets of my happy life is that i have never made the mistake of learning to drive a car. I have never lacked people, usually women, longing to drive me withersoever I wanted. Why keep bitches and bark yourself?