“and a charge of lying against someone whom you have always found truthful is a very serious thing; a very serious thing indeed.”
“A joke is a very serious thing.”
“Indeed a lie is often more plausible than the truth. "Almost" always. The truth, of course, is never very plausible.”
“Turgenev was a very serious fellow but he could make me laugh because a truth first encountered can be very funny. When someone else's truth is the same as your truth, and he seems to be saying it just for you, that's great.”
“For young adults,the growth from silly to serious can be very fast, indeed.”
“No, never regret destroying something written. Some things are best left hidden, especially if they can seriously hurt someone if they are found.”