“So if you choose me, then you have declared me more special to you than anyone else, because only one man can have that honor.”
“Which makes you grip this rail even tighter. And holding it so tightly reminds you of its purpose, and the fact that you're not supposed to go over the rail – because life is meant to be protected, not discarded.”
“When you come to a new country with so little, all you have is your character.”
“I’m not doing anything with him.” “Well, maybe you should. Just don’t tell me about it. And make sure there’s at least a one million dollar donation to MCA involved.”
“Every woman who has ever approached me about being in my circle of lovers knows that I'm a bachelor with no plans to get married. Thanks to New York's tabloids, it's practically common knowledge. And, to avoid any possibility of doubt or misunderstanding, I very clearly told her from the start what I tell every potential lover: I don't date anyone exclusively. Ever.”
“You see, Baci literally means 'kiss' in Italian so – I think you could fairly expect a chocolate or a non-chocolate kiss on every date.”
“If, one day, I am able to find the fortitude to stare January 18, 2012 directly in the face, and then hand it to you as I see it, then you will know that I somehow began to emerge from this black hole reborn, with a renewed spirit.”
“Michael was an emotional rollercoaster for me, and with each abrupt dip and turn of the car I was in, it seemed as if I might just be hurled out of my seat for a very painful, if not mortal, crash to the ground below.”
“It's bewildering to me how you can just start chatting with a complete stranger on Facebook, and - next thing you know - it seems as if there's some intense connection with the person - or at least you feel that closeness and hope it's mutual”
“His hand gently caressed my leg as his lips nibbled on mine, and the tip of his tongue began asking permission, teasing me with short licks of my tongue that suggested so much more. I could feel myself breathing more heavily, until he slowly pulled away. “We still have a film to watch,” he whispered with a wink, before settling back into his seat.”
“Honest dishonesty. That’s quite the oxymoron – but I like the originality that you’ve brought to bear in the art of rationalization. Maybe you should consider becoming a lawyer,” he added jokingly.”
“Sometimes violence is necessary to prevent even more violence,” I concluded, almost as if it were an epiphany.”
“Compartmentalization is an unconscious psychological defense mechanism employed to avoid cognitive dissonance.”
“Indeed, wounded loved can make for fierce vengeance. And, from what I know of Anissa, it does seem a bit out of character for her to behave so spitefully, so I'd like to think that she really is just deeply hurt, angry and looking for some way to injure me back...I hope she knows how well she's succeeded.”
“That could also be because at one point during the film, our hands found each other. And when I felt Michael's middle finger caress the inside of my palm, it sent a tickle up my spine, and the fingers of my right hand were soon exploring his left hand, and we each took turns tracing the contours of the other's hands.”
“Well, you can consider yourself a complete failure as a therapist – and I can consider this entire engagement a massive waste of time – if anything sexual happens between us.”
“There are definitely some hos on this campus,” she began. “And plenty more in this city. And the fact that you're so different from those types only makes it that much more likely that you'll fetch a nice figure on eBay for the popping of your cherry,” she joked suggestively.”
“It's how I refer to that sinking feeling that none of this matters. Not the money. Not the academic prestige. Not the fame or influence. Not the beautiful girls. Not anything. It's all meaningless in the end.”
“You sound almost bitter about it.”
“I am. Life is a cheat. A tease. If you're born into a happy or comfortable existence, then you grow attached to it and some day it's taken from you for one reason or another. And if you're born into suffering, then things are that much worse. No matter how your life begins or unfolds, as Jim Morrison so poetically put it, 'No one here gets out alive.”
“It's full of these grand structures that are possible only thanks to our greatest virtues – intelligence, planning, cooperation, vision. Things that you almost forget exist when evil, terror, and war ravage your country and become the normal state of affairs,”
“I'm not sure how far the decent is, because I'm still falling. But I've hit rock-bottom about half a dozen times in my life,”
“And losing her as my therapist still seems far better than being caught having a sexual relationship with my seventeen-year-old student.”
“Well, I’m glad that you and I are now so comfortable in our relationship that you can advise me on how to seduce my professor,” I joked.”
“And trust me, none of those boys – including Julien – will give you a hard time about poppin’ that sweet cherry of yours, in case you get the urge again.” I laughed some more at her over-the-top style.”
“Paradoxically, the more Michael kept me at a distance, the more I trusted him - perhaps because he was always willing to help me with tips and introductions even though he wanted absolutely nothing from me (and never reciprocated my nosiness with personal questions of his own with me).”
“Isn’t it better just to make your own money, and then spend it how and when you want, and with dignity?”
“So our narcissism has bared forth an unflattering nakedness that shames our species. But this is humanity. This is our condition.”
“And you never fall behind?”
“Of course I do. But I always feel guilty when that happens. After all, my journal is the oldest and most loyal friend I have. And it never interrupts me when I’m speaking,” he added, with a boyish grin.”
“I once heard my mother tell my sister love only comes at a price, there's no way around it. You give up parts of yourself for love, she said. If that's true, I thought, the cost of our love had risen. And despite wanting to be as real to you as you were to me, I couldn't afford us any longer. We were beyond my means.”
“We just want to be where we're supposed to be. We just want to be with the people we want to be with. I don't think that's asking for too much, ya know what I'm saying?”
“well-known."
"You're saying Raynen is behind this?"
"Lad, he cannot help but see you as a threat. And they say he's been distraught of late-unbalanced." He shook his head. "I cannot believe all the problems this Initiation has had. I'm beginning to think it will take a miracle to pull it off. In”
“It's not that words or human language stop having any meaning or relevance after you die, by the way.”
“Why do I think these particular books have been popular? Two reasons. First, I think it is because they involve no harsh, garish violence at all. They involve game playing, really. No one is burned or cut or hurt. Certainly no one is killed. Indeed the whole sadomasochistic predicament is presented as a glorified game played out in luxurious rooms and with very attractive people, and involving very attractive slaves. There are endless motifs offered for dominance and submission, for surrender and love. It’s like a theme park of dominance and submission, a place to go to enjoy the fantasy of being overpowered by a beautiful man or woman and delightfully compelled to surrender and feel keening pleasure, without the slightest serious harm. I think it’s authentic to the way many who share this kind of fantasy really feel. I think what makes it work for people is the combination of the very graphic and unsparing sexual details mixed with the elegant fairy-tale world. Unfortunately a lot of hackwork pornography is written by those who don’t share the fantasy, and they slip into hideous violence and ugliness, thinking the market wants all that, when the market never really did. Second, this is shamelessly erotic. It pulls no punches at being what it is. It’s excessive and it is erotica. Before these books, a lot of women read what were called “women’s romances” where they had to mark the few “hot pages” in the book. I said, well, look, try this. Maybe this is what you really want, and you don’t have to mark the hot pages because every page is hot. Every page is about sexual fulfillment. Every page is meant to give you pleasure. There are no boring parts. Yet it’s very “romantic.” And well, I think this worked.”
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