“ At our age, surely there are better things to sustain us, to sustain a marriage, than the brief flame of passion?" ..."You are mistaken, Ernest," she said at last. "There is only the passionate spark.… Helen Simonson
“ I have produced no children of my own and my husband is dead," she replied, an acid tone in her voice. "Thus I am more to be pitied than revered. I am expected to give up the shop to my nephew, who wi… Helen Simonson
“ He cursed himself for having assumed the weather would be sunny. Perhaps it was the result of evolution, he thought--some adaptive gene that allowed the English to go on making blithe outdoor plans in… Helen Simonson
“ He had never imagined so clearly the consequences of mailing a letter—the impossibility of retrieving it from the iron mouth of the box; the inevitability if its steady progress through the postal sys… Helen Simonson
“ My dear Mrs. Ali, I would hardly refer to you as old," he said. "You are in what I would call the very prime flowering of mature womanhood." It was a little grandiose but he hoped to surprise a blush.… Helen Simonson
“ Only sometimes when we pick and choose among the rules we discover later that we have set aside something precious in the process. Helen Simonson
“ Look, the truth belongs to the guy who's best at sticking to his story,' said Ferguson. Helen Simonson
“ Look here, it's all very tidy and convenient to see the world in black and white,' said the Major, trying to soften his tone slightly. 'It's a particular passion of young men eager to sweep away their… Helen Simonson
“ Memories were like tomb paintings, thought the Major, the colors still vivid no matter how many layers of mud and sand time deposited. Scrape at them and they come up all red and blazing. Helen Simonson
“ Her favourite summer memories were not of events themselves, of picnics, sea bathing, tennis afternoons and cricket matches, but of watching Hugh and Daniel enjoying them and locking into memory the d… Helen Simonson
“ Despite his attempts to maintain a vigorous structure of errands, golf games, visits, and meetings, there were sometimes days like this one, filled with rain and touched with a gnawing sense of parts… Helen Simonson
“ But it's not enough to be in love. It's about how you spend your days, what you do together, who you choose as friends, and most of all it's what work you do ... Better to break both our hearts now th… Helen Simonson
“ I miss being a student," said Abdul Wahid. "I miss the passionate discussions with my friends, and most of all the hours among the books. Helen Simonson
“ You Anglo-Saxons have largely broken away from such dependence on family. Each generation feels perfectly free to act alone and you are not afraid. Helen Simonson
“ They sat a moment in embrace of silent mutual comfort, which was, she often thought, the reward of those long married. Helen Simonson
“ My parents told me to marry for money,' said her husband. 'But I chose the love of a strong woman.''And look what trouble I turned out to be,' she said. Helen Simonson
“ You are a wise man, Major, and I will consider your advice with great care—and humility." He finished his tea and rose from the table to go to his room. "But I must ask you, do you really understand w… Helen Simonson
“ Most of all I remember that what begins with drums and fife, flags and bunting, becomes too swiftly a long and grey winter of the spirit. Helen Simonson
“ ...I tell myself it does not matter what one reads--favorite authors, particular themes--as long as we read something. It is not even important to own the books. Helen Simonson
