“MarthaI thought you loved her.BernardEnough to want her happiness above all things.MarthaYou are forty-five, aren’t you? I forgot that for a moment.BernardDear Martha. You have such an attractive way of putting things.”

“Here weare, a man and a woman, both wanting thesame things, and yet, you aren’t attracted tome.”

“I, of all people, know that trust is fragile, and even the people who love you aren’t above betrayal.”

“First of all . . . I have standards. I’ve never been with an ugly woman.Ever. Second of all, I wanted to sleep with you. I thought about throwing you over my couch fifty different ways, but I haven’t because I don’t see you that way anymore. It’s not that I’m not attracted to you, I just think you’re better than that.”

“But the truth is that I had never wanted him to kiss me, not in the way you are supposed to want these things. I mean, he was gorgeous. I was attracted to him. I thought about him in that way, to borrow a phrase from the middle school vernacular. But the actual touch, the realized touch...it was all wrong.”

“Happiness requires a balance. If you feel rejected, you need to pursue love with dignity. If you feel put down you need to restore your dignity in an attractive fashion.”