Gregg Strouse

“At this third lie, Pinocchio’s nose grew so long that he could not even turn around. If he turned to the right, he banged into the bed or windows. To the left, he hit the walls or the door. If he raised his nose, he would poke Fairy’s eyes out. Like most liars, he was stuck.”
― Tania Zamorsky, Pinocchio

“We heard you were ready to die,” the largest rabbit said. “We have come for you.” “But I’m not dead yet!” Pinocchio cried. “You will be in just a few minutes, if you don’t take your medicine.” Pinocchio swallowed his medicine in one quick gulp. Almost immediately, he felt as good as new. He had to admit, when one is sick, even bitter medicine is a very sweet thing.”
― Tania Zamorsky, Pinocchio

“The worst things that people do to us always make us feel ashamed. The worst things that people do always strike at the part of us that wants to love the world. And a tiny part of the shame we feel, when we’re violated, is shame at being human.”
― Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram

“The Chinese might have invented gunpowder and the noodle, but the West had invented cleavage, with profound if underappreciated implications. A man gazing on semi-exposed breasts was not only engaging in simple lasciviousness, he was also meditating, even if unawares, on the visual embodiment of the verb “to cleave,” which meant both to cut apart and to put together. A woman’s cleavage perfectly illustrated this double and contradictory meaning, the breasts two separate entities with one identity. The double meaning was also present in how cleavage separated a woman from a man and yet drew him to her with the irresistible force of sliding down a slippery slope. Men had no equivalent, except, perhaps, for the only kind of male cleavage most women truly cared for, the opening and closing of a well-stuffed billfold. But whereas women could look at us as much as they wanted, and we would appreciate it, we were damned if we looked and hardly less damned if we didn’t.”
― Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer