Sporadically speaking

"When people are waiting, they are bad judges of time, and every half minute seems like five." (p. 96)

"What was there now to add, but that he should learn to prefer soft light eyes to sparkling dark ones. – And being always with her, and always talking confidentially, and his feelings exactly in that favourable state which a recent disappointment gives, those soft light eyes could not be very long in obtaining the pre-eminence." (p. 437)

- Austen J. 2003. Mansfield Park. London: Penguin Classics.

"To youth and natural cheerfulness like Emma’s, though under temporary gloom at night, the return of day will hardly fail to bring return of spirits. The young and cheerfulness of the morning are in happy analogy, and of powerful operation; and if the distress be not poignant enough to keep the eyes unclosed, they will be sure to open to sensations of softened pain and brighter hope." (p. 109)

"A sanguine temper, though for ever expecting more good than occurs, does not always pay for its hopes by a proportionate depression. It soon flies over the preset failure, and begins to hope again." (p. 113)

- Austen J. 2003. Emma. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."

- Austen, J. 1994. Pride and Prejudice p. 18. London: Penguin Books

"I think it’s the same with all relationships between a man and a woman. They can survive anything so long as some kind of basic humanity exists between the two people. When all kindness has gone, when one person obviously and sincerely doesn’t care if the other is alive or dead, then it’s just no good. That particular insult to the ego – worse, to the instinct of self-preservation – can never be forgiven. I’ve noticed this in hundreds of marriages. I’ve seen flagrant infidelities patched up, I’ve seen crimes and even murder forgiven by the other party, let alone bankruptcy and every other form of social crime. Incurable disease, blindness, disaster – all these can be overcome. But never the death of common humanity in one of the partners. I’ve thought about this and I’ve invented a rather high-sounding title for this basic factor in human relations. I have called it the Law of the Quantum of Solace."

- Fleming, I. 2006. "Quantum of Solace." For Your Eyes Only. p.118. London: Viking Press.

'Do you have any alcohol?' I asked, laughing.
'I have alcohol?' he asked himself. 'Do I?'
'You do?' I asked.
'I don't... have any,' he said, starting to laugh also.

- Easton Ellis, B. 1988. The Rules of Attraction, p. 82. London: Picador.

"Every human action can be explained by what precedes it, but that does not excuse it."

- De Becker, G. 1997: The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signs that Protect us from Violence. p. 216. New York: Dell Publishing.

"...someone asks, simply, not in relation to anything, “Why?” and though I’ve very proud that I have cold blood and that I can keep my nerve and do what I’m supposed to do, I catch something, then realize it: Why? and automatically answering, out of the blue, for no reason, just opening my mouth, words coming out, summarizing for the idiots: “Well, though I know I should have done that instead of not doing it, I’m twenty-seven for Christ sakes and this is, uh, how life presents itself in a bar or in a club in New York, maybe anywhere, at the end of the century and how people, you know, me behave, and this is what being Patrick means to me, I guess, so, well, yup, uh…” and this is followed by a sigh, then a slight shrug and another sigh, and above one of the doors covered by red velvet drapes in Harry’s is a sign and on that sign in letters that match the drapes' colour are the words THIS IS NOT AN EXIT."

- Easten-Ellis, B. 1991. American Psycho, p. 383-384. London: Picador.