Edna O'Brien

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Love . . . is like nature, but in reverse; first it fruits, then it flowers, then it seems to wither, then it goes deep, deep down into its burrow, where no one sees it, where it is lost from sight, and ultimately people die with that secret buried inside their souls

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I was lonelier than I should be, for a woman in love, or half in love

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If the Holy Communion touched my teeth, I thought that was a mortal sin

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If we are taken all together, we might muster some courage, but from the previous evidence it is likely that we will be taken separately