The Hidden Palace (The Golem and the Jinni, #2)

by Helene Wecker

But translation was no simple matter. The words themselves were many-layered, contingent on the season, on the time of day, on any of a host of circumstances. He imagined stumbling over the explanations, going back to add some crucial detail he’d forgotten, as he tried to show her how each phrase was a small tale in itself. He would never succeed to his satisfaction; he would only sadden and frustrate them both. And even if he could find the words, then what would be laid before her?

Thus a woman is strong by nature, for she was created from a bone, while a man, created from earth, is weak, and quickly dissolves.

“What good would my anger do?” “None whatsoever! But it would be true, and honest, and understandable!”