"Trust is absolutely precious, and its betrayal horrifies me. I do want readers to trust me. And yet I don't want to o…"

"I've studied Ulysses in depth and still think it's a great and ground-breaking book, a brave and sincere trail-blazer…"

"Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them. This city I am bringing you to is vast and intricate, …"

"Let's not be coy: you were hoping that I would satisfy all the desires you're too shy to name, or at least show you a…"

"The main characters in this story, with whom you want to become intimate, are nowhere near here. They aren't expectin…"

"In 2012, the Chinese sociologist Sūn Lìpíng (b. 1955) suggested the PRC [People's Republic of China] faced four possi…"

"Proud Queen of isles! Thou sittest vast, alone, A host of vassals bending round thy throne: Like some fair swan that …"

"And, oh Britannia! should'st thou cease to ride Despotic Empress of old Ocean's tide;— Should thy tam'd Lion—spent hi…"

"One flower is always best; And, hidden near the nest, One bird of all the brood Will sanctify the wood."

"What shall I wish you Robbie Croll— A girl, a book, or wine? For sages tell, who these control Shall taste of the div…"