We may say that religion, as distinguished from modern paganism, implies a life in conformity with nature. It may be observed that the natural life a… - T. S. Eliot

The detective story, as created by Poe, is something as specialised and as intellectual as a chess problem, whereas the best English detective fiction has relied less on the beauty of the mathematical problem and much more on the intangible human element. [...] In The Moonstone the mystery is finally solved, not altogether by human ingenuity, but largely by accident. Since Collins, the best heroes of English detective fiction have been, like Sergeant Cuff, fallible.

"Between the desire
And the spasm,
Between the potency
And the existence,
Between the essence
And the descent,
Falls the Shadow.

This is the way the world ends.

from "The Hollow Man

For I have known them all already, known them all — Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.