“After loss of Identity, the most potent modern terror, is loss of sexuality, or, as Descartes didn’t say, "I fuck therefore I am".”

“I am not a fan of supermarkets and I hate shopping there, even for things I can't get elsewhere, like cat food and bin bags. A big part of my dislike of them is the loss of vivid life. The dull apathy of existence now isn't just boring jobs and boring TV; it is the loss of vivid life on the streets; the gossip, the encounters, the heaving messy noise that made room for everyone, money or not.”

“Why is the measure of love loss?”

“I was in those days all about the 'fuck you'. Fuck you for not recognising how great I am. I'll do it myself.”

“I walked out to brood on this life of ours, which seems from birth to death to be a steady loss, disguised by sudden gains and happiness, which persuade us of good fortune, when all the while the glass is emptying.”

“Everyone thinks their own situation most tragic. I am no exception.”

“When I say 'I will be true to you' I am drawing a quiet space beyond the reach of other desires.”