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Once again, I was struck by her extraordinary beauty and inexplicable decision to select me as her partner. And, as always, that thought was followed by an unwanted emotion: an intense moment of fear that she would one day realize her error.
I was happy in the way that I would be happy if the captain of an aircraft in which I was traveling announced that he had succeeded in restarting one engine
after both had failed. Pleased that I would now probably survive, but shocked that the situation had arisen in the first place, and expecting a thorough investigation into the circumstances.
had learned that, in marriage, reason frequently had to take second place to harmony.
A society of Rain Men would be dysfunctional. A society of Don Tillmans would be efficient, safe, and pleasant for all of us.
It is generally accepted that people enjoy surprises: hence the traditions associated with Christmas, birthdays, and anniversaries. In my experience, most of the pleasure accrues to the giver. The victim is frequently under pressure to feign, at short notice, a positive response to an unwanted object or unscheduled event.
After the most basic physical requirements are satisfied, human happiness is almost independent of wealth. A meaningful job is far more important.
Work was crucial to sanity. Which was probably why George continued to perform on the cruise ship.
before sharing interesting information that has not been solicited, think carefully about whether it has the potential to cause distress.
My love for Rosie was so powerful that it had caused my brain to make a grammatical error.
If you want to understand individual human behavior, the magic words are repeating patterns.”
problems that originate in childhood are never solved.
It seemed reasonable to conclude that happiness in marriage was not a simple function of time, and that instability was part of the price of an improvement in overall well-being.
happiness had tested me. But I had concluded that being myself, with all my intrinsic flaws, was more important than having the thing I wanted most.
