Part of the great wonder of reading is that it has the ability to make human beings feel more connected to one another, which is a great good, if not… - Anna Quindlen

How is it that, a full two centuries after Jane Austen finished her manuscript, we come to the world of Pride and Prejudice and find ourselves transcending customs, strictures, time, mores, to arrive at a place that educates, amuses, and enthralls us? It is a miracle. We read in bed because reading is halfway between life and dreaming, our own consciousness in someone else's mind.

There's some muscle group around your shoulders that seizes up during the perfection dance and doesn't let go until you are asleep, or alone. Or maybe it never really lets go at all.

Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. That's what I have to say. The second is only a part of the first.