The End of the Affair

by Graham Greene

I find it hard to conceive of any God who is not as simple as a perfect equation, as clear as air.

(who are we to measure another man’s courage?)

I never lose the consciousness of time: to me the present is never here: it is always last year or next week.

I was jealous even of the past,

His love of truth was greater than his pride.

I could have waited years now that I knew the end of the story.

In the morning I set myself a minimum of seven hundred and fifty words on the novel, but usually I managed to get a thousand done by eleven o’clock. It’s astonishing the effect of hope:

‘The Church offers privileges, Mr Miles, as well as responsibilities.

It helped a lot not being able to speak much French. You sound awfully truthful if you don’t know the right words.

one can’t love and do nothing.