“Life is progressive, no matter what our intentions.”

“why shouldn't he? All life is just a progression toward and then a recession from one phrase-- 'I love you”

“The compensation of a very early success is a conviction that life is a romantic matter. In the best sense one stays young.”

“A stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles, was sitting somewhat drunk on the edge of a great table, staring with unsteady concentration at the shelves of books. As we entered he wheeled excitedly around and examined Jordan from head to foot.“What do you think?” he demanded impetuously.“About what?”He waved his hand toward the book-shelves.“About that. As a matter of fact you needn’t bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They’re real.”“The books?”He nodded.“Absolutely real — have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real. Pages and — Here! Lemme show you.”Taking our scepticism for granted, he rushed to the bookcases and returned with Volume One of the “Stoddard Lectures.”“See!” he cried triumphantly. “It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco. It’s a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too — didn’t cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?”

“no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . And then one fine morning—So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

“Life opened up in one if its amazing bursts of radiance and Amory suddenly and permanently rejected an old epigram that had been playing listlessly in his mind: 'Very few things matter and nothing matters very much.' On the contrary, Amory felt an immense desire to give people a sense of security.”

“It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning—So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”