The Recognitions - pg. 589

- Ignorance and desire, you've told me ... Oh, you've told me so many things, haven't you. All of our highest goals are inhuman ones, you told me, do you remember? I don't forget. But remorse binds us together in ignorance and desire, and ... and ... not salt tears then, but ... She gasped again, shuddered but would not give in.
- And what is it now, this reality you used to talk about, she went on more quietly. - As though you could deny, and have nothing to replace what you take away, as though ... Oh yes, zero does not exist! And here I ... I watched you turn into no one right here in front of me, and just a ... a pose became a life, until you were trying to make negative things do the work of positive ones. And your family and your and ... when I married you we used to talk about all that intelligently, and I thought you were outside it, and understood it, but you're not, you're not, and you never will be, you never will get out of it, and you never ... you never will let yourself be happy. Esther was talking rapidly again, and she paused as though to give effect to the softness of her voice as she went on, though her memory crowded details upon her and it was these she fought. - There are things like joy in this world, there are, there are wonderful things, and there is goodness and kindness, and you shrug your shoulders. And I used to think that was fun, that you understood things so well when you did that, but finally that's all you can do, isn't it. Isn't it.