John

“I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate inside me operating the levers of a life-size Oliver-shaped shell. A shell on which a decrepit picture show replays the same handful of images. Every night I come to the same place and wait till the sky catches up with my mood. The pattern is set. This is, no doubt, the end.”
― Joe Dunthorne, Submarine

“Sooner or later in life everyone discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who pause to consider the antithesis: that perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable.”
― Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz

“Hello, you must be Alan.’ It was production runner, Paula. ‘I’m the production runner, Paula.’ ‘That’s a nice name.’ This was my go-to compliment when meeting people for the first time. ‘Oh, really? Do you think so?’ Problem was, it worked less well with what one might call the shitter names, such as Paula, when it could sound dangerously sarcastic. ‘Absolutely, my mum was called Paula.’ My mum was not called Paula, but by lying I had stopped sounding like I was being sarcastic.”
― Alan Partridge, Alan Partridge: Big Beacon: The hilarious memoir from the nation's favourite broadcaster, perfect for Christmas

“It’s the same with people who say, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ Even people who say this must realize that the exact opposite is true. What doesn’t kill you maims you, cripples you, leaves you weak, makes you whiny and full of yourself at the same time. The more pain, the more pompous you get. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you incredibly annoying.”
― Rob Sheffield, Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time