The Bridge of San Luis Rey

"Oh, if we could go away to some island where the people would know you for yourself. And love you."
"You are fifty years old and you are still dreaming of such islands, Uncle Pio."

He divided the inhabitants of this world into tow groups, into those who had loved and those who had not. It was a horrible aristocracy, apparently, for those who had no capacity for love (or rather for suffering in love) could not be said to be alive, and certainly would not live again after their death.

a boredom so persuasive that it was like pain - he woke up with it and spent the day with it, and it sat by his bed all night watching his sleep.

But such occasion of excellence became less and less frequent. As her technique became sounder, Camila's sincerity became less necessary.

Uncle Pio never exactly beat her, but her resorted to a sarcasm that had terrors of its own.

Everyone knew that he was working on some sort of memorial of the accident, and everyone was very helpful and misleading

И он сейчас же принес ему в жертву все - если мы вообще способны жертвовать чем-либо, кроме того, что заведомо нам недоступно, и того, чем обладать, как подсказывает нам внутренний голос, было бы хлопотно или тягостно.

— Мы делаем, что можем. Мы бьемся, Эстебан, сколько есть сил. Но это, понимаешь, ненадолго. Время идет. Ты удивишься, как быстро оно проходит.

О, да известно ли вам, что в Библии для каждого человека отыщется текст, способный его потрясти, совершенно так же, как для каждого здания существует музыкальная нота, способная разрушить его?

Either we live by accident and die by accident, or we live by plan and die by plan.