Maria

“What, I wondered, did he mean by “society”? The plural of human beings? Where was the substance of this thing called “society”? I had spent my whole life thinkng that society must certainly be something powerful, harsh and severe, but to hear Horiki talk made the words “Don’t you mean yourself?” come to the tip of my tongue. But I held the words back, reluctant to anger him.
‘Society won’t stand for it.’
‘It’s not society. You’re the one who won’t stand for it - right?’
‘If you do such a thing society will make you suffer for it’
‘It’s not society. It’s you, isn’t it?’
‘Before you know it, you’ll be ostracized by society.’
‘It’s not society. You’re going to do the ostracizing, aren’t you?’
Words, words of every kind went flitting through my head. “Know thy particular fearsomeness, thy knavery, cunning and witchcraft!” What I said, however, as I wiped the perspiration from my face with a handkerchief was merely, “You’ve put me in a cold sweat!” I smiled.
From then on, however, I came to hold, almost as a philosophical conviction, the belief: What is society but an individual?”
― Osamu Dazai, No Longer Human

“Dragostea e temperamentală. Obositoare. Are exigențele ei. Dragostea te folosește. Se răzgandește. (...) Dar ura... Este ceva de care te poți folosi. O poți sculpta. O poți mânui. Este tare sau moale, după cum ai nevoie. Dragostea te umilește, dar ura te alină. E așa de bine. Mă simt infinit mai bine acum.”
― Janet Fitch, White Oleander

“Dincolo de toate temerile, avertizările,
Dincolo de toate,
Greșelile unei femei sunt diferite de cele ale unei fete,
Sunt scrise cu foc în piatră,
Sunt o trăsătură, nu o eroare.”
― Janet Fitch, White Oleander

“If ever I meet someone society has designated as an outcast, I invariably feel affection for him, an emotion which carries me away in melting tenderness.”
― Osamu Dazai, No Longer Human