“.... "death turns all men into great lovers. Would that they were equally ardent while the lady was still alive!”

“Death turns all men into great lovers. Would that they were equally ardent while the body was still alive!”

“It put him in mind of the grand death of Julius Caesar, stabbed by a throng of Roman senators and dying very decoratively, scarlet on marble, harmoniously framed by columns. Would that some great Sienese could bring himself to die in a like manner, allowing the Maestro to indulge in the scene on a local wall.”

“You were right and I was wrong. When life hurts more than death, it is not worth living.”

“For as long as I could remember, he had never worn a single piece of clothing that could be considered casual. Khaki shorts and golf shirts, to Umberto, were the garments of men who have no virtues left, not even shame.”

“Great love, you believe, carries the seeds of great sorrow.”

“And so we walked through customs arm in arm; while the officer barely looked at my passport, he did look twice at Eva Maria’s cleavage.”