Sally Rooney

It was culture as class performance, literature fetishised for its ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys, so that they might afterwards feel superior to the uneducated people whose emotional journeys they liked to read about.

No one can be independent of other people completely, so why not give up the attempt, she thought, go running in the other direction, depend on people for everything, allow them to depend on you, why not.

Marianne had the sense that her real life was happening somewhere very far away, happening without her, and she didn't know if she would ever find out where it was or become part of it.

Generally I find men are a lot more concerned with limiting the freedoms of women than exercising personal freedom for themselves

She believes Marianne lacks ‘warmth’, by which she means the ability to beg for love from people who hate her.

Life offers up these moments of joy despite everything.

Life is the thing you bring with you inside your own head.

Most people go through their whole lives, without ever really feeling that close with anyone.