Sean Russell

"The carriage, Tristam realized, was becoming the metaphor for this period of his life: he neither owned, drove, nor directed one in any way but was simply carried along."

"“Never,” he said firmly, “be intimidated by a person because of the size of house in which they were born."

"Not only had he become adept at predicting the behavior of others, but he could predict his own behavior just as well. He no longer surprised himself. It was one of the saddest things about aging."

"It was difficult to believe these things had taken place such a very long time ago. The events seemed distant, as though he had only read about them and not experienced them at all. He knew that at th…"

"I do not want to end up like Stern, Tristam thought: the dutiful servant, silently chewing his resentment, hoping, pitifully, that his sacrifice would one day be rewarded."

"Man, he suspected, had a particular genius for complicating things, for creating social hurdles that one must leap or be thought lacking."

"“One of the lessons of age,” he said softly. “Do not waste what time you have in regret."

"“We continue to negotiate the treaty, endlessly apparently, to everyone’s continuing loss.” He smiled wryly. “You know how such things go. We no longer debate to gain real advantage but to come away f…"