Walker Percy

The things you understand but can't explain are the only things that really matter.

I liked Lise immediately and made a little speech at her birthday party, even though I'd only known her a month. People just assumed we were old friends.

Why are some people listened to and others aren't? When it is so often the case that those who aren't listened to are saying the most interesting, most valuable things.

Many dramatic flaws are allowed to exist in a synthetic universe, such as certain programs on television. For instance, does anyone other than me think it strange that Walter on "Breaking Bad" has such superhuman abundance of physical and mental energy while being in the throes of cancer?

The young male dancer in the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, after dancing with a much older female dancer, a woman who'd retired and come back to dance, said she was the only dancer he'd ever looked in the eye while dancing.

It's a good thing Aunt Lois didn't have children as there's a good chance they would have become extremely neurotic, and therefore unhappy, people. Instead Lois loved God, did a good job in whatever she was doing, and made money, in that order.

There was a time in my life when I defined 'vacation' as being alone in a hotel room all by myself for one night. I'd close the door, unplug the phone, turn out the lights, lie in the floor and fall asleep. Is that neurotic behavior? I'm still not sure. I know that I liked the feeling that nobody knew where I was.

The desire by many people of a certain age and temperament to be thought of as remarkable, and the desire to seek remarkable experience, exponentially reduces the number of remarkable people as well as reducing the opportunities for remarkable experience.

If I could speak again at Lise's birthday party I'd say that I liked her immediately because I saw in her how ordinary I am, and that being ordinary allowed me to see how beautiful she is.