Yet none of these things gave him confidence. All they gave him was egotism, which is less the conviction of one’s worth than the desire for that conviction.

Suddenly it seemed to me that I looked back from a great distance on that smile and saw it all again – the smile and the day, the whole sunny, sad, funny, wonderful day and...

Nothing came in reasonable measure, it seemed, not water or sunshine or sorrow. But joy, too, is immoderate sometimes, and that makes up for the rest.