“Hortense was a wife; Valerie a mistress.Many men desire to have these two editions of the same work, although it is proof of deep inferiority in a man if he cannot make his wife his mistress. Seeking variety is a sign of impotence.”
“A woman should be able to kiss a man beautifully and romantically without any desire to be either his wife or his mistress.”
“Don't say 'wife.' I'm your mistress. Wife's such an ugly word. Your 'permanent mistress' is so much more tangible and desirable… .”
“A man cannot be exactly the way he wants to be and also dream of keeping his wife”
“Everybody who flashed the signs of loyalty he took to be loyal. Everybody who flashed the signs of intelligence he took to be intelligent. And so he had failed to see into his daughter, failed to see into his wife, failed to see into his one and only mistress—probably had never even begun to see into himself”
“Why would a man need both a wife and a mistress? A smart man would seek out and fall in love with a woman who can play both.”