“Sexual pleasure, uncoupled once and for all from reproduction, which was its original purpose, continuously leaked fluids all over the planet, in every season. And there was no controlling it, whatever had to happen would happen no matter what; it was the careening force of bodies that ruthlessly wiped out wives, husbands, children, affections, economies.” DesireSexFleshLustInfidelityCasualtiesBodies Book:Trick Source: Trick
“When had I tamed myself? It had been a lengthy apprenticeship, begun when I was as young as ten, and continued relentlessly throughout my adolescence, when I had discovered to my own terror that I wanted to murder somebody: my father, a sarcastic friend, my professor of Latin and Greek, even a rude passerby. It was not until I was almost twenty that I began to suspect that, along with the repression of my violent impulses, I had repressed everything, even my ability to experience a profound emotion, even my impulse to do good deeds and help others. I had become as good as I had hoped to be, but good with the cautious detachment of one who never indulges in excess.” DesireViolenceCivility Book:First Execution Source: First Execution
“I have enormous affection that grows rather than diminishes with time, for the I that I painfully cose from the many, my I. How we love—all of us—our chatty little imp. The toil begins when we toss him into the world so that he’s loved as much as we love him. An impossible thing. Disappointment follows the toil.” LoveSelfDeathTimeGrowthAcceptanceRegretDisappointmentReflections Book:Trick Source: Trick
“Pensai: ci innamoriamo di persone che sembrano vere ma non esistono, sono una nostra invenzione; questa donna così ferma, dalle frasi così scandite, questa donna senza timidezze, sferzante, non la conosco, non è Nadia. Una cosa è la persona amata, altra cosa è la persona reale che finché l'amiamo non vediamo mai davvero. Quanto tempo, mi dissi, sprechiamo nei rapporti amorosi. In questi anni ho felicemente inventato una persona. Sono entrato con grande godimento nel corpo di un mio acquerello dai colori leggeri, e ho nell'altra stanza una figlia vera di un anno che è stata partorita da una mia finzione.” AmoreRealtàImmaginazioneIllusioneFinzione Book:Confidenza Source: Confidenza
“Far chiarezza all'interno della vita di coppia, mah, forse è un dovere, ma anche un lusso che è rischioso permettersi.” AmoreVeritàCoppiaChiarezza Book:Confidenza Source: Confidenza
“He stared at the first one, seeming to drink it up with his eyes, an antiquated metaphor that I’ve always loved: People and things dissolve, turn to liquid, and the eyes become mouth and throat, changing the irreducible world into a potion.” UnderstandingCuriosityConsumingMetaphorsSensingLiquifying Book:Trick Source: Trick
“- Aveva per modello qualcuno dei suoi insegnanti? - I miei insegnanti? No, assolutamente no. Anzi, il mio unico imperativo era: non fare ai tuoi allievi il male che i tuoi insegnanti hanno fatto a te.” Insegnanti Book:Confidenza Source: Confidenza
“You say it’s because you want to be a man of your times. You call this frenzy of yours involvement. Oh, sure, you’re involved, you take part, you take part a little too much. But really you’re a passive man, you pick up words and ideas from books that appeal to the masses and you put them in play, you’re entirely subject to the conventions and trends of people who matter, whom you quickly hope to associate with.” Pseudo Intellectual Book:Lacci Source: Lacci