“The voice, Afghan matchmakers say, is more than half of love.”

“It's too late," she said."Don't say that." His voice was half a whisper. "I love you, Tessa. I love you.”

“I think everyone must love life more than anything else in the world.' 'Love life more than the meaning of it?''Yes, certainly. Love it regardless of logic, as you say. Yes, most certainly regardless of logic, for only then will I grasp its meaning. That's what I've been vaguely aware of for a long time. Half your work is done, Ivan: you love life. Now you must try to do the second half and you are saved.”

“Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.”

“Derek's voice was nothing more than a rasping whisper. "That was making love, dirty style.”

“What is more enchanting than the voices of young people when you can't hear what they say?”