A visit to Père Lachaise in Paris adds a year to one's life - J. G. Ballard

Idealists can be quite a problem when they get disgusted with themselves.

The staircase was deserted — the higher up the building the more reluctant were the residents to use the stairs, as if this in some way demeaned them.

Recently she had become intrigued by the admiring glances of other women. The admiration of her own sex existed on a higher and more intense plane than anything men could offer, like the romantic rivalries of sisters. Together, women formed a conspiracy of glances entirely exchanged behind the backs of their menfolk.