“On the surface, an intelligible lie; underneath, the unintelligible truth.”

“What does it mean to live in truth? Putting it negatively is easy enough: it means not lying, not hiding, and not dissimulating.”

“For Sabina, living in truth, lying neither to ourselves nor to others, was possible only away from the public: the moment someone keeps an eye on what we do, we involuntarily make allowances for that eye, and nothing we do is truthful. Having a public, keeping a public in mind, means living in lies.”

“The moment someone keeps an eye on what we do, we involuntarily make allowances for that eye, and nothing we do is truthful. Having a public, keeping a public in mind, means living in lies…”

“Great novels are always a little more intelligent than their authors.”

“She was aware that in love even the most passionate idealism will not rid the body's surface of its terrible, basic importance.”

“She fixed him with a long careful, searching stare that was not devoid of irony's intelligent sparkle”