Nerves and Fibres

“Life is a question of nerves, and fibres, and slowly built-up cells in which thought hides itself and passion has its dreams. You may fancy yourself safe and think yourself strong. But a chance tone of colour in a room or a morning sky, a particular perfume that you had once loved and that brings subtle memories with it, a line from a forgotten poem that you had come across again, a cadence from a piece of music that you had ceased to play… I tell you, that it is on things like these that our lives depend.”

— Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

I began reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray" on a trip last month; I had already read Oscar Wilde's most famous plays and loved his writing, but I have to say: The dialogues at the beginning of this book, between Dorian, Lord Henry and Hallward are simply incredible. The writing is fantastic, so well constructed and witty and with such a great rhythm. I'm amazed. I still have to finish the book, and all the readings I have to do for college are getting in the way of that, but as soon as I find some free time, I'm opening my e-reader and going back to it.