When reading a book, one of my favourite moments is coming across the paragraph(s) that illuminates the title – all the more significant for a book entitled The Elegance of the Hedgehog (by Muriel Barbery):
‘Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog: on the outside, she’s covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary – and terribly elegant. … So here is my profound thought for the day: this is the first time I have met someone who seeks out people and who sees beyond. That may seem trivial but I think it is profound all the same. We never look beyond our assumptions and, what’s worse, we have given up trying to meet others; we just meet ourselves. We don’t recognise each other because other people have become our permanent mirrors. If we actually realised this, if we were to become aware of the fact that we are only ever looking at ourselves in the other person, that we are alone in the wilderness, we would go crazy. … As for me, I implore fate to give me the chance to see beyond myself and truly meet someone.’
While I'm on the subject of books… below is a lovely picture-quote (via ffffound.com) :)
