Sometimes the beast needs to be loved before it can be lovable. Love her in her sin, that’s what divine love means. Love her with the highest form of love on earth. Love everything. Then you will see mystery in everything.

Dasha bent him to her and kissed him on the mouth. And kissed him and kissed him. And kissed him.

He was new. Transcendentally new. Immemorially new. She had thought all the while that their instant familiarity was based on the things she understood- compassion, empathy, fondness, friendship. Two people resoundingly coming together. Needing to sit close together on the tram, to bump into each other, to make each other laugh. Needing each other. Needing happiness. Needing youth.

What strength he once possessed had left his body and gone to a tiny girl with freckles.

We’ve had a minute, Tatiana thought. We had our minutes on the bus. And at Kirov. We had our minutes in Lugo. And in the Summer Garden. Breathless minutes, we had. What we want, she thought, keeping herself from welling up, is eternity.

The sponge of my heart had been filled up sometime last evening and had begun to drip.

All nations were different. The Russians were unparalleled in their suffering, the English in their reserve, the Americans in their love of life, the Italians in their love of Christ, and the French in their hope of love.

Tatia, let me take care of you.” He stopped and took a breath.

Tania, we desperately need to have a minute,” he said. “And you know it.” She knew it. “This isn’t right.” “It’s the only thing that’s right.” “All right. Go.” “Will you come?” “I will try. Now, go.” “Lift your – ” Before he stopped speaking, Tatiana raised her face to him. They kissed deeply. “Do you have any idea what I feel?” Alexander whispered, his hands in her hair. “No,” Tatiana replied, holding on to him, her legs numb. “I only have an idea what I feel.

I didn’t know how to live my life, and suddenly I was thrust into it and had no choice but to live it.