A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

“If only I were there and she were here,” she sighed. And there, thought the Count, was a suitable plaint for all mankind.

“Oh,” said Sofia, bringing the topic to a close with the efficiency of the guillotine.

The first was that if one did not master one’s circumstances, one was bound to be mastered by them; and the second was Montaigne’s maxim that the surest sign of wisdom is constant cheerfulness.