“It seems to me that very sad things always contain an element of the comical”

“The tree seemed very sad to be involved in such a thing and it hung its dark head over them.”

“I was always either so unreasonably and pointlessly happy that no one place could seem to contain me, or so melancholy, so sick and silly with sadness that there was no place I could stomach the thought of entering. I hated it here. And I have never been as happy as when I was here. And these two things together confront me with the beak and claws of the True.”

“the table of elements does not contain one of the most powerful elements that make up our world, and that is the element of surprise.”

“I was young and not gloomy and there were always strange and comic things that happened in the worst time...”

“It seems to me, though, that you always understand very well what I can't say very well. Trouble is I end up being even worse at saying things well.”