The Secret Scripture

by Sebastian Barry

And a man who can make himself merry in the face of those coming disasters that assailed him, as disasters do so many, without grace or favour, is a true hero.

there is seldom a difficulty with religion where there is friendship.

‘What is the matter?’ I said. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Oh. My wife has died.’ ‘Your wife?’ ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘yes. Her breathing deserted her. She choked, she choked–she suffocated.’

psychotic person often supplies answers to everything, whatever their truth. They intensely dislike not knowing, because it brings on the pain and storm of confusion.

It is always worth itemising happiness, there is so much of the other thing in a life, you had better put down the markers for happiness while you can. When

Certainly her father had an enormous capacity for alcohol, being able like a docker to down fifteen pints of porter in a night and steer himself home afterwards.

at close of day the ship we sail in is the soul, not the body.

and I looked down at her face just the second before she said ‘I do,’ and then heard her say it, and then out of her face flew this extraordinary light, flooding up at me. It was love. You do not expect to see love like that. I did not anyhow.