Direct contact with human beings I had always found irksome. I was eager to help them as much as I could, but from a distance. I did so with great pleasure, I loved them all and sympathized with them all, but from a distance. Whenever I came near, I found it impossible to tolerate them for long, they felt the same about me, and we parted. I have a passionate love for solitude and silence; I can gaze for hours at a fire or the sea without feeling any need for additional companionship.
