"A philosophical thought has probably not attained all its sharpness and all its illumination until it is expressed in French."

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One reason writers write is out of revenge. Life hurts; certain ideas and experiences hurt; one wants to clarify, to set out illuminations, to replay the old bad scenes and get the Treppenworte said -- the words one didn't have the strength or ripeness to say when those words were necessary for one's dignity or survival.

— Cynthia Ozick