Wendy

“No one is born pompous. To attain that state requires a certain amount of planning and effort. Presumably you could achieve it by a variety of means, but one sure way is to attend an old prep school that’s a little past its prime; while there, exhibit some facility in a field sport that you will never have cause to play again; room with a fellow whose name is over the library door; and along the way, gain familiarity with a pastime that requires travel and specialized apparel—such as duck hunting or downhill skiing. Follow these simple steps and you are sure to gain the necessary self-assurance to expound authoritatively on wine, politics, and the lives of the less fortunate—and to generally go on and on about anything else.”
― Amor Towles, Table for Two

“—My mother told me it was more important to be interested than interesting.”
― Amor Towles, Table for Two

“is a funny aspect of life, thought Charlie, how a group of grown people can convince themselves to do something that none of them really want to do. They start by talking an idea into existence. Once the idea begins to take shape and dimension, they’ll talk away their hesitations, replacing them with all the supposed benefits, one by one. They’ll talk away their instincts and their second thoughts and their common sense too, until they are moving in lockstep together toward some shared intention that doesn’t appeal to any one of them.”
― Amor Towles, Table for Two

“But in the end, I just got worn out by all the fairy tales. —There’s no shortage of those here, Charlie pointed out. —You’re right, of course. But back east the fairy tales are a thousand years old, handed down from generation to generation. All that happily-ever-after nonsense. Out here there are fairy tales, but it feels like everyone is making them up as they go along. —I think they call those delusions. —Exactly, said Evelyn with a smile. —So, you’re not interested in happily ever after? —Not in the least. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy being happy every now and then just like anybody else. It’s the ever-after part that I find irksome.”
― Amor Towles, Table for Two