Zadie Smith Quote

Don't let your teeth make you lose respect by permanently keeping them opened for the sake of being friendly.

Every gathering has its moment. As an adult, I distract myself by trying to identify it, dreading the inevitable downswing that is sure to follow. The guests will repeat themselves one too many times,...

In a useful conversation... there is a double coincidence of wants. You have to be interested in what I have to say; I have to be interested in what you have to say. This is an important reason why pe...

If you drink the good wine of the noble countess, you have to entertain her less desirable friends.

I have no fear of men, as such, nor of their books. I have mixed with them--one or two of them particularly-- almost as one of their own sex. I mean I have not felt about them as most women are taught...

How do I know you're not crazy? she asks. How do I know you're not the craziest dude I've ever met? You'll have to test me out. You have my info, she says. I'll think about it. Rain, I say. That's not...

She said that you-- I don't care what she said. I stand up. Everyone lies. Hey, he says softly. It's just a code. No. Everyone lies. I stub the cigarette out. It's just another language you have to le...

This was the problem with drinks parties: getting stuck with a person you didn't want to talk to while someone you did was tantalisingly in view.