Alison Lurie Quotes

Guilt stirs me, but only to self-pity.

Humans punish themselves endlessly for not being what they believe they should be. They become very self-abusive, and they use other people to abuse themselves as well.

I punish myself for my whole life, my whole life I punish.

I still spend my time feeling sorry for myself and making serious mistakes.

I constantly say things that I regret. I mortify myself constantly.

I felt that I ostracized myself by my behavior, by the past, by living with all the regrets of my mistakes, that I sort of wore a hair shirt and beat myself up most of the day thinking and regretting why did I make such a mistake? Why have I made so many mistakes?

I lied for years and years. And the thing about lies and secrets is that they eat you alive from the inside. I would not wish that pain on anyone.

Shall I, that have destroyed my Preservers, return home?

I was forced to lie to my father by doctors and relatives. I made that choice and agreed with them, and I will never, ever get over it. If I hear a lie in my life with my children, with my wife, my work, my audiences, I want to annihilate myself, vaporize myself, and wipe myself off the face of the earth.

I wanted to get punished, and I took unnecessary punishment when I was fighting.

You'll be scandalized in the morning when you can think again.

I kept this to remind me of you trying to brush away the Villa Rossa from your teeth in the morning, swearing and eating aspirin and cursing harlots. Every time I see that glass I think of you trying to clean your conscience with a toothbrush.

There is no wretchedness like self-reproach.

The only person I have hurt is myself.

Why do you work so hard to make yourself disliked? I should think you'd find it happens enough on its own without putting yourself to any extra trouble.

I am so sorry. I wish you knew even one tenth of one percent of how sorry I am. ...It was my fault. Can I kill myself here, or should I do it outside, so the mess on your carpet doesn't upset your mother?

Could he with reason murmur at his case, Himself sole author of his own disgrace?

Only self-hatred could lead him to ruin himself because his heart was "broken.

Your own regrets may not be as ugly as you think they are.

I think silence is the condition you accept as the judgment on your crimes.

I'm trying to think of what I'm ashamed of. But, damn, I don't really have any shame.

I suppose I’m the one responsible for destroying myself.

We gather our arms full of guilt as though it were precious stuff. It must be that we want it that way.

I knew it. In this way, Peeta's not hard to predict. While I was wallowing around on the floor of that cellar, thinking only of myself, he was here, thinking of me. Shame isn't a strong enough word for what I feel.

In fact, now you mention the subject, I have been very bad in my own small way. I don't think you should be so proud of that, though I am sure it must have been very pleasant.