Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun

30 – Of all the good things here in the solitude, nothing could match a wall clock that went all through the dark winter, striking the hours prettily.

103 – … he was appalled at the expenses that being in love could lead to.

230 – Women cannot tell one man from another, not always, not often.

318 – You have no need of a sword in your hand, you walk through life barehanded and bareheaded in the midst of a great kindliness.

319 – Not everybody is, but you are: vital to the earth. You sustain life. You go on from generation to generation, fulfilling yourselves through sheer breeding; when you die, the new brood takes over. This is what is meant by eternal life.