“Thirty years later, Bruno was convinced that, taken in context, the episode could be summed up in one sentence: Caroline Yessayan's miniskirt was to blame for everything.”

“Thirty years later he could not come to any other conclusion: women were indisputably better than men. They were gentler, more affectionate, more loving and more compassionate, they were rarely violent, selfish, cruel or self-centred. Moreover, they were more rational, more intelligent and more hardworking. What on earth were men for? Michael wondered as he watched sunlight play across the closed curtains. In earlier times, when bears were more common, perhaps masculinity served a particular function, but for centuries now, men served no useful purpose. For the most part, they assuaged their boredom playing squash, which was a lesser evil; but from time to time they felt the need to change history - which expressed itself in leading a revolution or starting a war somewhere. Aside from the senseless suffering they caused, revolutions and war destroyed the achievements of the past, forcing societies to build again. Without the notion of continuous progress, human evolution took random, irregular and violent turns for which men (with their predilection for risk and danger, their repulsive egotism, their volatile nature and their violent tendencies) were directly to blame. A society of women would be immeasurably superior, tracing a slow, unwavering progression, with no U-turns and no chaotic insecurity, towards a general happiness.”

“Later Michel went up to the priest as he was packing away the tools of the trade. “I was very interested in what you were saying earlier…” The man of God smiled urbanely, then Michel began to talk about the Aspect experiments and the EPR paradox: how two particle, once united, are forever and inseparable whole, “which seems pretty much in keeping with what you were saying about one flesh.” The priest’s smile froze slightly. “What I’m trying to say, “Michel went on enthusiastically, “is that from an ontological point of view, the pair can be assigned a single vector in Hilbert space. Do you see what I mean?”

“Back in Paris they had happy moments together, like stills from a perfume ad (dashing hand in hand down the steps of Montmartre; or suddenly revealed in motionless embrace on the Pont des Arts by the lights of a bateau-mouche as it turned). There were the Sunday afternoon half-arguments, too, the moments of silence when bodies curl up beneath the sheets on the long shores of silence and apathy where life founders. Annabelle's studio was so dark they had to turn on the lights at four in the afternoon. They sometimes were sad, but mostly they were serious. Both of them knew that this would be their last human relationship, and this feeling lacerated every moment they spent together. They had a great respect and a profound sympathy for each other, and there were days when, caught up in some sudden magic, they knew moments of fresh air and glorious, bracing sunshine. For the most part, however, they could feel a gray shadow moving over them, on the earth that supported them, and in everything they could glimpse the end.”

“I've lived so little that I tend to imagine I'm not going to die; it seems improbablethat human existence can be reduced to so little; one imagines, in spite of oneself,that sooner or later something is bound to happen. A big mistake. A life can just aswell be both empty and short. The days slip by indifferently, leaving neither trace normemory; and then all of a sudden they stop.”

“Bruno bir birey sayılabilir miydi? Organlarının çürümesi onun sorunuydu, fiziksel çöküşü ve ölümü bireysel olarak yaşayacaktı. Öte yandan yaşama hazcı açıdan bakışı, bilincini yapılandıran etki alanları ve arzuları onun tüm kuşağına özgüydü. Deneysel bir hazırlık yapılması ve bir ya da daha çok gözlenebilir öğenin seçimi, atomik bir dizgenin - kimi zaman cisimsel, kimi zaman dalgalı- belli bir davranış biçimi kazanmasını sağlıyorsa, Bruno da bir birey gibi görülebilir, ama başka bir açıdan da, yalnızca, tarihsel bir açılımın edilgen bir öğesidir. Güdülenmeleri, değerleri, arzuları: bunların hiçbiri, çok az da olsa, onu çağdaşlarından ayıran özellikler değil. Yoksunluk içindeki bir hayvanın ilk tepkisi, genellikle, var gücüyle hedefine ulaşmaktır. Örneğin, aç bir tavuk, yem yemesi kafesle engellendiğinde, giderek artan çılgınlıkta bir çaba harcayarak bu kafesin öte yanına geçmeye çabalar. Ama yavaş yavaş, bu davranışın yerini, görünüşte amaçsız bir davranış alır. Örneğin güvercinler aradıkları yemi bulamazlarsa, yiyecek bir şey bulunmayan yeri sürekli olarak gagalarlar. Yalnızca boşu boşuna gagalamakla kalmazlar, sürekli olarak kanatlarını da temizlerler.”

“«Sophie, s'exclama à nouveau Bruno, sais-tu ce que Nietzsche a écrit de Shakespeare? "Ce que cet homme a dû souffrir pour éprouver un tel besoin de faire le pitre!..." Shakespeare m'a toujours paru un auteur surfait; mais c'est, en effet, un pitre considérable.» II s'interrompit, prit conscience avec surprise qu'il commençait réellement à souffrir. Les femmes, parfois, étaient tellement gentilles; elles répondaient à l'agressivité par la compréhension, au cynisme par la douceur. Quel homme se serait comporté ainsi?”