Wine is like opera. You can get very cheap seats, they don’t feel comfortable and the view is restricted but it’s still the same show.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Wine and Opera Analogy
W
Wanting and Happiness
W
To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Time’s Perspective
T
Time, I think, is like walking backwards away from something: the further away you get, the smaller it seems.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Cooking as Art
C
Cooking is an art form, a creative thing. Chefs are artists, they say. But being an artist, I’ve discovered, doesn’t mean you’re any good.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Joys of Gluttony
J
Gluttony and idleness are two of life’s great joys, but they are not honourable.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Leading the Orchestra
L
The man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Anxiety and Conscience
A
Anxiety is the beginning of conscience, which is the parent of the soul but is not compatible with innocence.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Miracle of Communication
M
Every act of communication is a miracle of translation.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Unknown Future
U
The future is, of course, an unknown country, but one in which we all have to seek citizenship.
John Lanchester – The Debt to Pleasure
Pessimist’s Virtue
P
That was one of the virtues of being a pessimist: nothing was ever as bad as you thought it would be.
Graham Greene – Our Man in Havana