Murphy Scott

“In solitude he brooded on the same inexplicable question: 'What is this? Can it really be death?' And an inner voice would reply, 'Yes, that's what it is.' 'What is this torture for?' And the voice would reply, "It's just there. It's not for anything.' Above and beyond this there was nothing.”
― Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilych

“He loved her in spite of her unlovableness. Armande had many trying, though not necessarily rare, traits, all of which he accepted as absurd clues in a clever puzzle.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, Transparent Things

“Know that I loved you, she said to the Darkling. Know that it was not enough.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

“The houses were not Hamas. The kids were not Hamas. Their clothes and toys were not Hamas. The neighborhood was not Hamas. The air was not Hamas. Our ears were not Hamas. Our eyes were not Hamas. The one who ordered the killing, the one who pressed the button thought only of Hamas.”
― Mosab Abu Toha, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza