Axel Quotes

Axel Reid, you wake up right now!” I yell. “Get your paws off my tit and call your dick off its search for my pussy, he found it asshole, now back off.

When our mind is in shambles and we dare to reflect on the story of our life, we may discover, in the stream of our thoughts, the fault line between what we have underfelt and what we have overthought on our way. (“Axel Red”)

She was mine. She is mine. She will always fucking be mine.

Fate might hate me, but that doesn't stop me from hoping one day she forgets about her favorite chew toy. When that day comes I hope karma has some fun with that bitch fate

A man can stand a lot as long as he can stand himself. He can live without hope, without friends, without books, even without music, as long as he can listen to his own thoughts.

Missed you…so fucking much, Princess.

Even through the anger of losing you—I still knew you were my angel. My light.

I still love him. This man that I have thought was forever lost to me. If I am completely honest with myself, I never stopped loving him. But, all this knowledge shouldn’t scare me. The teenage love we shared over a decade ago has grown with such a power that it will kill me if I lose it again.

Smile on my face, rock hard dick in my pants, and some peace in my heart.

She loops her arms around my neck, wraps her legs around my hips, and clings to me like a monkey, and some happy part of my brain does flips and jumping jacks and fucking triple axels because this is my wife.

Sugar" he starts, before turning his attention back over to Dee, " I have thought about sex, hard fucking sex, about a hundred times since we sat down to eat." Looking back over to me, " Does that clear it up for you?

Never again, Izzy West. I will never again let anyone take you from me, or anything from us.” Harper Sloan (2013-07-03 17:39:22-04:00). AXEL (Kindle Locations 3171-3172). Kindle Edition.

I love you, Axel Reid. I have loved you forever and I will never stop. Made for me, baby. You were made for me. Don’t ever leave me. Never again.

Oh Izzy, girl how do you let him get dressed. A shame, oh it is a shame to let that man ever put clothes on.

And I had taken one look and knew she would be mine. From that moment on, she was mine and I was hers.

Never again, Izzy West. I will never again let anyone take you from me, or anything from us.

But I gotta say, I am so proud right now.” Axel flattened his hand over his heart. “You borrowed my patented move, proving I’m made of more than awesome. I’m awesalicious. Is that a word? It’s probably a girl word, but who cares! Seriously. Do you see a tear in my eye? Because I’m pretty sure I feel one.

Not much has changed, my ass. Looks like his few inches weren't just in his height

Belatedly, I notice how much easier it is to walk on these sticks when you can't feel your legs. Lesson number one for hooch wear, be drunk. It might make dancing more of a challenge, but I wasn't feeling a thing and it was beautiful.

Not one day went by Izzy that my heart didn’t belong to you. To this day there has only been one woman that has and will ever hold it. Fuck, baby but the love I have for you is so fucking strong sometimes, I wonder if it will crush me.

Watching "a fucking stripper movie" when the strippers have dicks

Process? What the hell is there to process? Where are you, Izzy? Not asking you again, and I am not fucking doing this text message shit like a goddamn prepubescent little shit.

People say karma is a bitch but I have news for you, karma doesn’t have anything on fate when she is after blood. Not a single thing.

It would have been quicker if she had stuck around and shot me in the fucking chest. At least I would have died instantly, instead of bleeding out slowly for the last twelve years.

Ve l'ho detto, Axel, e ve l'ho dimostrato: il mio amore non è il peggiore degli inferni." Lui si mosse le labbra, lottando contro la disperazione. "Così avete reso inferno un amore che mi ha accompagnato per tutta la mia esistenza".

We all have that person, Dee.  Beck is yours.  Axel is Izzy’s.  Melissa’s is Greg.  Hell, Emmy’s is Maddox.  Every. Single. One. Of. Us.  We have that person who makes us complete.  He is my person.

My bad brother. I won't apologize that it happened, hell fucking no, best breakfast I've ever had

Just because I’m not pushing you up against walls and humping you like a fucking animal doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the view. You just haven’t caught me looking.

I can feel the sun warming my skin. I love this blissful state between sleep and just waking. But I no longer relish this moment for being numb, no…now I relish this moment because it reminds me I am alive.

Live? Our servants will do that for us..

Hmm…can’t speak, huh baby? Just think how good it will feel when I bury my cock deep inside that warm pussy, when I fuck you so hard you will feel me for days. Going to make you drown in pleasure, fuck you so good, so fucking good.

Hear me now, and understand me, we will talk but nothing you can say will change the fact that you and me are happening. I won’t let you go, Izzy. Never. You’re mine, you got that, Princess?

The wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of the cage. He is in front of it.

Princess, you need to let go of my head so I can finish eating this sweet pussy.

Do you not know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?

If you call me Holt one more fucking time I’m bending you over my knees, yeah? I am not Holt to you, and you damn well fucking know it.

Who in the hot hunk of sex are you?

Hey boys, nice to look at cha

What are we doing, Axel?" … "I don’t know, Princess. I don’t know. But, it feels way too fucking good to ignore.

You think I've been around these fuckers long enough to get comfortable enough to SLEEP ten feet away from them? Not fucking likely. (Axel)

«Questa vicenda mi ha fatto pensare molto. Amare è anche fuggire e poi interrompere a metà la corsa e sedersi sul ciglio della strada per aspettare che chi ti ha ferito così tanto venga a prenderti. Per Axel e me è stato così, e io non voglio arrivare alla fine della mia vita e accorgermi di aver lasciato indietro ciò che volevo veramente».

I haven’t always been this weak person; this broken woman. I used to dream, and when I did, I dreamt big. I had plans, plans of a future so bright it would blind you. I can still remember the day those dreams, those grand plans, and that future as bright as the sun went poof.

What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away, you keep forever.

You two need to either get the fuck out or get behind closed doors. Don’t need to be seeing that shit this goddamn early. Go reunite somewhere else, serious as fuck right now.

I rush into his hold and let my sadness flow. I let him be my rock, the rock I have needed for so long.

I kill things...and eat them." Axel Reid

El problema no está en el mundo que nos rodea, sino en cómo lo vemos nosotros. La perspectiva, Leah, creo que todo depende de la perspectiva" - Axel

Get over here and give your man some love.

I don’t think you’re going to start a riot, but until you prove you have more survival instincts than a seriously stressed out lemming, you’ll stay at the bar.

He was the only reason I survived at the hands of Brandon. I would just close myself off and think of him and the times we had together. He was my salvation in the darkest of dark.

Lei si riscosse e fece per superarlo. Allora, di riflesso, Axel abbassò il braccio bloccandole la strada senza smettere di guardarla. -Scappa-, sussurrò lui. -Ma tornerai da me, non ti permetterò mai di andare via-.

To become a good dog-doctor it is necessary to love dogs, but it is also necessary to understand them - the same as with us, with the difference that it is easier to understand a dog than a man and easier to love him.

I don’t think every kind of pain makes people stronger. Some pain just hurts,” Bayden said.

You will be called Axel,” Vic declared. “What? No way! My name is Axellent! It’s a legitimately cool name!” “Do you really think so? Then I pity you.

Telling someone you’ll accept them as long as they pretend to be someone they’re not—that’s not real acceptance. And saying you’ll love someone as long as they lie about part of who they are—that’s not real love, pup.” Bayden tensed at the word love being uttered out loud for the first time. Axel smiled and pressed a kiss against Bayden’s temple. “I won’t be someone who does that.

My mother was right -it's the humans who seem different that are the most dangerous of all" Axel touched his cheek and made him turn to face him. "Pup?" "I'll do anything for you, sir," Bayden whispered. "That's what makes you dangerous. Other humans can't hurt me. I'd never give them the chance. But you... I'be a fool not to be afraid of you

You are merchants?’ ‘We are.’ ‘What name?’ said the officer. ‘Charls,’ said Damen, who was the only merchant he knew. ‘You are Charls the renowned Veretian cloth merchant?’ said the officer sceptically, as if this was a name well known to him. ‘No,’ said Laurent, as if this was the most foolish thing in the world. ‘I am Charls the renowned Veretian cloth merchant. This is my assistant. Lamen.’ In the silence, the officer tracked his gaze over Laurent, then over Damen. (...) ‘Well, Charls,’ he said, eventually. ‘It looks like you’ve got a broken axel.’ ‘I don’t suppose your men could aid us in our repairs?’ said Laurent. Damen stared at him. They were encircled by fifty mounted Akielon soldiers. Jokaste was inside that wagon. The officer said, ‘We’re patrolling for Damianos of Akielos.’ ‘Who’s Damianos of Akielos?’ said Laurent. His face was utterly open, his blue eyes unblinking, upturned to the officer on his horse. ‘He’s the King’s son,’ Damen heard himself saying, ‘Kastor’s brother.’ ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Lamen. Prince Damianos is dead,’ said Laurent. ‘He is hardly the man to whom this officer is referring.’ Then, to the officer: ‘I apologise for my assistant. He doesn’t keep up with Akielon affairs.

I…missed…you…so…much.” I sob out, gasping as the emotions over take me. “God Princess, you have no idea. No fucking idea.” He says, rolling to the side and pulling me closer to his hard body. “Never letting you go, Izzy. Never.

-Che cosa?-, chiese con voce strozzata non appena fu in grado di prendere un respiro intero. -È inaudito!-, tuono qualcuno dal basso. A conferma del fatto che alcuni avvenimenti potevano richiamare i morti dalla tomba, anche quelli finti, Bryce Vandemberg si rivolto nella bara e poi si levò a sedere. -Inaudito-, ripeté. -Ho capito di quale pittore si tratta, che bastardo!-. -Verissimo-, rispose Axel rincuorato dalla solidarietà del fratello. Bryce sembrava altrettanto infuriato. -Ma come ha osato fare una cosa simile? Perché Eloise? Eravamo insieme quel giorno! Perché quello stupido imbrattatele non lo ha chiesto a me?-, sbraito.

Don't become the one people expect you to be, become who you really are!

Child’s creativity – indeed, the human faculty of imagination – presupposes a capacity to be alone, which itself can arise only out of basic confidence in the care of a loved one.

One day I might figure it out, the reason fate hated me, Isabelle West. But, until that day I damn sure will be careful with my dreams and my plans; my heart and my soul.

Axel pressed harder against me and somehow I was turned until I was chest to chest with him.

Okay, I'll move the lawn chairs. (Axel)

Axel is the best uninvited miracle in my life.

you don't see, I dare say, Axel, but if you were to listen, you might hear.

That’s just their way, honey. His father was the same way with Dee. Axel the same with me. Greg and Melissa. Maddox and Emmy. Asher and Chelcie. My sweet Dani with Cohen. Heck, even Davey had his moment with Sway. These men, it’s just how they are. When they set their minds to something there is nothing and no one that will hold them back. And sweetheart, before you even let this thought take root in your mind, when they know, they know and they know in a way that sticks forever.

La risata di Axel suonò tenera e, seppure molto bassa, ne riconobbe il suono che le ronzò nelle orecchie con il calore di una notte estiva. Aveva sempre amato sentirle proferire qualcosa di oltraggioso.Rimpianto, nostalgia. Le rivolse uno sguardo che sembrava cancellare le distanze tra loro, calpestando la polvere delle strade che li separavano e trasformandola in oro.

Serious as shit right now, Izzy. You keep looking at me like I’m the last drop of water left over after a long-ass drought and I will take you right here in the doorway. Jesus Christ, I’m so fucking hard right now, I think I really could hammer nails.

A metà di una strada lo vide, la camicia candida e il mantello gettato sulle spalle; aveva perso la feluca e i capelli erano scompigliati. Senza staccare gli occhi da lei guardava la folla di braccia e mani tese per abbracciarlo o semplicemente toccarlo. L'istante successivo non esisteva più alcuna strada o persona, non esisteva distanza, soltanto l'affondare il viso nei pizzi morbidi sul suo petto e le dita di una mano sul suo braccio, mentre quelle dell'altra sfioravano, incredule, la chiave d'oro appesa al suo collo. Poi la mano di Axel fu sulla sua schiena e l'altra si posò al lato del viso per costringerla con gentile fermezza a sollevarlo verso il suo. «I miei privilegi, signora, non avete possibilità di negarmeli oggi.» Il suo respirò la baciò ancora prima delle sue labbra.

In that moment, I knew whatever had been broken over the years was finally put back together again. I was whole.

You thought you were the only one who wanted that?” Axel asked. That had to be the problem, because there was no way anyone could doubt that Bayden wanted it with a ferocity that Axel had never encountered in another sub.

We got some shit to figure out, Izzy…but after this, I won’t let you go until we figure it out. Not happening. Do you feel it? Every single thing we ever felt for each other, it is still there Izzy and I won’t let you push me away. We walked back into each other’s lives for a reason.

The Earth, dost thou say? What has the Earth ever realized, that drop of frozen mud, whose Time is only a lie in the Heavens?

Sand in reality is nothing else than very small stones.

I’ll take the truth in a stroppy tone over a lie any day.

Izzy, from the first moment our eyes met, I knew you would be mine forever. There wasn't a day that passed you didn't hold my heart. Everything I have ever done in my life was with you in my mind, even when I didn't think this moment would ever come, it was all I prayed for. We might not have had the easiest road to get here, but know, from this day forward, I will do everything in my power to ensure that there is nothing but perfection. The happiness and love we deserve, baby.

Liberalizar es precisamente lo que el populista y el totalitario no quieren porque desean mantener el control de la población en sus manos. Nada hace más dependiente a la gente del poder que el control sobre sus ingresos, sus trabajos y sus propiedades.

Eloise sgranò i suoi titoli con l’indifferenza colpevole con cui avrebbe gettato in terra noccioli di ciliegie, poi lasciò scivolare via nella nebbia una fuggevole visione di lisci capelli di un biondo intenso intorno a un viso dai lineamenti affilati. Studente anziano, Duca dell’Ordine della Chiave e componente del senato studentesco; secondogenito dei Vandemberg, la famiglia regnate della Nazione Sovrana di Aldenor. Principe del sangue e Principe dello Studium. Elegante, dissoluto, galante. L’incarnazione stessa dello scholaro delle ballate da osteria.

Dal corridoio giunse una voce contrariata. «Maledizione, l'ha ammazzato sul serio, adesso mi toccherà essere l'erede al trono al posto suo e indossare quel ridicolo mantello da cerimonia». Bryce fece irruzione nello studio e considerò con un breve sguardo Alexis sulla poltrona e Axel fermo al centro della stanza con un bicchiere in pezzi ai piedi. In faccia gli leggeva chiaramente che se fosse stato Alexis a tirarglielo dietro, avrebbe avuto tutta la sua comprensione. «Arrivi a proposito», disse Axel, calmissimo. «Ti spiacerebbe mandare qualcuno a chiamare Stephen Eldrige?». «L'unica persona che manderò a chiamare è un esorcista», disse Bryce, esasperato. «Sperando che almeno lui possa fare qualcosa per te».

Per la mia intera esistenza e anche oltre farò tutto ciò che è in mio potere perché tu sia felice.

He has Axel’s protectiveness without being over the top. If what Melissa tells us is correct, he shares Greg’s bedroom skills. He has that huge heart of gold that Beck is famous for. And of course, he shares Maddox’s strength and determination.

Or ce que Chris n’avait pas prévu, c’est que l’inverse arrive également : qu’un homme bien devienne une ordure. S’il y a des rédemptions, il y a aussi des damnations. Et elles sont toujours volontaires. Quand un accident introduit une cassure dans leur existence, les hommes réagissent diversement, Axel s’était enfermé dans le dégoût cynique de l’humanité, Chris ouvert à l’amour des autres.

Se lui avesse potuto dire il suo nome ancora una volta, a voce così bassa da poterla sentire invece che ascoltarla.Se lo avesse fatto, così piano da non permettere alla veglia di ricordarle perché quel suono non poteva più renderla felice.Se solo non avesse mai smesso di piovere.Eloise, sei sveglia?Sì, e non voglio.Sotto la mano il cuscino era fresco e morbido, negli spazi tra le sue dita se ne insinuavano altre, calde e dure perché abituate a riempire di lusinghe l'elsa di una spada, non solo la pelle di una donna. Prendeva la sua una mano fatta per accarezzare e per uccidere.Una mano che l'aveva accarezzata, e poi uccisa.«Axel».Forse c'era stato uno scatto di esultanza profonda, perché ridestandosi aveva pronunciato per prima cosa il suo nome.Qualcosa che aveva a che fare col possesso e il riconoscimento.Qualcosa di così profondo che, se non si fosse opposta, avrebbe finito per precipitarvi dentro.Qualcosa che tra loro due era sempre esistito.L'aveva accarezzata.A quanto le avevano raccontato, lui era stata la prima cosa del mondo su cui aveva aperto gli occhi. Un fagottino di neonata, avvolta tra le braccia di un bambinetto di tre anni appena, che sollevava di colpo le palpebre incontrando per la prima volta due occhi blu pieni di amore e trionfo fissi su di lei.E poi uccisa.Una cicatrice che si risvegliava pulsando, lo spettro di dolore di un arto amputato, che esisteva solo nel ricordo dei nervi e bruciava, bruciava come fuoco.Lui era sete, tanta da accettare di annegare pur di riuscire a bere.«Axel».«Sono qui».

I would have dropped everything to save you from any ounce of pain. If it is within my reach to do that now, know that I will never fucking let pain touch your heart, baby. It kills me to know how easy it was for the world to rip us apart. For years baby, I have spent years thinking you left me. That you chose to leave me. God... He trails off and leans down to capture my lips. This kiss is like nothing we have shared since coming back to us. This kiss is full of the sadness that of what we have lost but with the promise of what we will have. His lips make love to mine.

I like the bare look, babe. Your little landing strip thingy you have going on is cool, but bare is better. The club sluts always le…….” He stops speaking abruptly; I’m sure, because of the look on my face. Axel stands quickly and mumbles over his shoulder as he leaves the bathroom, “Be back in an hour.” “Where are you going?” I shout at him. “There’s a lady I have to go see again,” I hear as the front door slams behind him. The bouquet of flowers Axel returns with is gorgeous!

What captivated my fancy was that I, Axel Heyst, the most detached of creatures in this earthly captivity, the veriest tramp on this earth, an indifferent stroller going through the world's bustle—that I should have been there to step into the situation of an agent of Providence. I, a man of universal scorn and unbelief...

Los amores platónicos son así, se quedan contigo para siempre. Pasan los años y, mientras olvidas besos y caricias de rostros borrosos, puedes seguir recordando una sonrisa de ese chico que fue tan especial para ti. A veces pensaba que lo sentía de esa manera por eso, por ser platónico, por no llegar nunca a suceder, como una pregunta que permanece flotando en el aire: «¿Cómo serían sus besos?». Años atrás, antes de quedarme dormida solía imaginármelos. En mi cabeza, los besos de Axel eran cálidos, envolventes, intensos. Como él. Como cada uno de sus gestos, su forma sigilosa de moverse, la mirada inquieta y llena de palabras no dichas, el rostro sereno de líneas marcadas… ¿Por qué era tan difícil olvidar un amor que ni siquiera llegó a ser real, a existir? Quizá porque para mi corazón… simplemente fue" - Leah

He believes, but he does not believe: the impossibility of believing is the impossibility which he accepts most reluctantly, but still it is there with the other impossibilities of this world which is too full of weeping for a child to understand.

I smiled at him, the first true smile I’d had in as long as I could remember. The kind that started from the inside and shone outward like a beacon. “There it is,” he rasped, his eyes shining with joy. “What?” I asked quietly. “My light,” he replied simply.

Only if all members of society can satisfy the needs they share with all others – physical and emotional intimacy, economic independence, and political self-determination – by relying on the sympathy and support of their partners in interaction will our society have become social in the full sense of the term.

Dievai visas gėrybes parduoda tikrąja kaina, yra pasakęs vienas senovės poetas. Jis būtų galėjęs pridurti, kad pačias verčiausias jie parduoda pigiausiai. Viskas, kas mums tikrai naudinga - nebrangu; tik už tai, be ko galima apsieiti, mokam didelius pinigus. Kas gražu - išvis neparduodama; visa tai nemirtingieji dievai mums duoda veltui.

Real submission isn’t about faking how you feel. It’s not about hiding things. It’s about offering up your every thought, your every emotion and trusting me to use them wisely. It’s one thing to pretend there’s nothing you want off me. Admitting everything you want and then accepting that I might not grant you any of it? That’s far harder.

Här är verkligen vackert,” suckade Liv. ”Inte lika vackert som du,” svarade Mark och tittade in i hennes ögon så intensivt att en primitiv instinkt skrek: Fly! Innan hon hann göra detta kom hans änglaansikte närmare och sedan trycktes deras läppar mot varandra. Liv slöt sina ögon och såg fyrverkerier bakom ögonlocken. Det var inte alls som när Lasse hade kysst henne. Det var bättre och intensivare. Alldeles för tidigt lämnade hans läppar hennes och alla möjliga sorters känslor snurrade runt i huvudet. ”Jag kunde inte låta bli,” mumlade Mark med mörk sammetsröst och vilade huvudet mot hennes axel. Med en tafatt rörelse smekte Liv hans vackra vita hår som var som det mjukaste silke. Ordlöst tröstade de varandra utan att vara medvetna om det.

A metà di una strada lo vide, la camicia candida e il mantello gettato sulle spalle; aveva perso la feluca e i capelli erano scompigliati. Senza staccare gli occhi da lei guardava la folla di braccia e mani tese per abbracciarlo o semplicemente toccarlo. L'istante successivo non esisteva più alcuna strada o persona, non esisteva distanza, soltanto l'affondare il viso nei pizzi morbidi sul suo petto e le dita di una mano sul suo braccio, mentre quelle dell'altra sfioravano, incredule, la chiave d'oro appesa al suo collo. Poi la mano di Axel fu sulla sua schiena e l'altra si posò al lato del viso per costringerla con gentile fermezza a sollevarlo verso il suo. - I miei privilegi, signora, non avete possibilità di negarmeli oggi. Il suo respirò la baciò ancora prima delle sue labbra.

First, Pops gets a kiss, then a hug and now cookies. Do you not see this big badass biker man meat in front of you?” he states loudly. I hear some chuckles and I stop when I’m next to Axel. I stare him down for a moment and notice there is nothing but pure mischief in his eyes. I lean in and wrap my arms around his waist and snuggle up to his chest. Very impressive chest I might add. “You need some attention today Axel?” I ask smirking. He wraps his arms around me and answers with a shouted, “Yes!” I hear a growl from somewhere but ignore it and wait for Axel to relax. When he does, I pull back from him smiling big while I reach up and twist his nipple. Hard. He howls and jerks back rubbing the abused nub. “You good now Axel or do you still need some more attention?” I purr. “No, you evil witch, I’m good. Thanks!” he says sarcastically.

We know that we are going to die, in fact it is the only thing we know of what is in store for us. All the rest is mere guesswork, and most of the time we guess wrong. Like children in the trackless forest we grope our way through our lives in blissful ignorance of what is going to happen to us from one day to another, what hardships we may have to face, what more or less thrilling adventures we may encounter before the great adventure, the most thrilling of all, the Adventure of Death.

What, in fact, do we know about the peak experience? Well, to begin with, we know one thing that puts us several steps ahead of the most penetrating thinkers of the 19th century: that P.E’.s are not a matter of pure good luck or grace. They don’t come and go as they please, leaving ‘this dim, vast vale of tears vacant and desolate’. Like rainbows, peak experiences are governed by definite laws. They are ‘intentional’. And that statement suddenly gains in significance when we remember Thorndike’s discovery that the effect of positive stimuli is far more powerful and far reaching than that of negative stimuli. His first statement of the law of effect was simply that situations that elicit positive reactions tend to produce continuance of positive reactions, while situations that elicit negative or avoidance reactions tend to produce continuance of these. It was later that he came to realise that positive reactions build-up stronger response patterns than negative ones. In other words, positive responses are more intentional than negative ones. Which is another way of saying that if you want a positive reaction (or a peak experience), your best chance of obtaining it is by putting yourself into an active, purposive frame of mind. The opposite of the peak experience—sudden depression, fatigue, even the ‘panic fear’ that swept William James to the edge of insanity—is the outcome of passivity. This cannot be overemphasised. Depression—or neurosis—need not have a positive cause (childhood traumas, etc.). It is the natural outcome of negative passivity. The peak experience is the outcome of an intentional attitude. ‘Feedback’ from my activities depends upon the degree of deliberately calculated purpose I put into them, not upon some occult law connected with the activity itself. . . . A healthy, perfectly adjusted human being would slide smoothly into gear, perform whatever has to be done with perfect economy of energy, then recover lost energy in a state of serene relaxation. Most human beings are not healthy or well adjusted. Their activity is full of strain and nervous tension, and their relaxation hovers on the edge of anxiety. They fail to put enough effort—enough seriousness—into their activity, and they fail to withdraw enough effort from their relaxation. Moods of serenity descend upon them—if at all—by chance; perhaps after some crisis, or in peaceful surroundings with pleasant associations. Their main trouble is that they have no idea of what can be achieved by a certain kind of mental effort. And this is perhaps the place to point out that although mystical contemplation is as old as religion, it is only in the past two centuries that it has played a major role in European culture. It was the group of writers we call the romantics who discovered that a man contemplating a waterfall or a mountain peak can suddenly feel ‘godlike’, as if the soul had expanded. The world is seen from a ‘bird’s eye view’ instead of a worm’s eye view: there is a sense of power, detachment, serenity. The romantics—Blake, Wordsworth, Byron, Goethe, Schiller—were the first to raise the question of whether there are ‘higher ceilings of human nature’. But, lacking the concepts for analysing the problem, they left it unsolved. And the romantics in general accepted that the ‘godlike moments’ cannot be sustained, and certainly cannot be re-created at will. This produced the climate of despair that has continued down to our own time. (The major writers of the 20th century—Proust, Eliot, Joyce, Musil—are direct descendants of the romantics, as Edmund Wilson pointed out in Axel’s Castle.) Thus it can be seen that Maslow’s importance extends far beyond the field of psychology. William James had asserted that ‘mystical’ experiences are not mystical at all, but are a perfectly normal potential of human consciousness; but there is no mention of such experiences in Principles of Psychology (or only in passing).

If the mother managed to pass the child’s unconscious test by enduring the aggressive attacks without withdrawing her love in revenge, the child has to accept that she belongs to an external world. If the mother’s love is lasting, the child can develop a sense of confidence in the provision of his or her needs and a capacity to be alone. The child can go on pursue his or her own personal life without the fear of being abandoned because the child possesses the confidence that his or her needs will be met because he or she is of unique value to the mother. The same pattern then applies to adult life where an individual is able to trust himself or herself because he or she believes they are of unique value to other individuals. In becoming sure of the mother’s love, young children come to trust themselves, which makes it possible for them to be alone without anxiety.

Ricordi quando hai imparato a scrivere?». Lei si voltò, sorpresa, e sorrise. «Per prima cosa mi hai insegnato a scrivere il tuo nome. Il mio istitutore era furioso perché avevi rovinato l’ordine con cui voleva procedere». «Che numero hai imparato per primo?». «Otto, perché tu avevi otto anni». La spinse gentilmente all’indietro, l’erba era soffice sotto il suo palmo, Eloise improvvisamente silenziosa. «Di notte mi svegliavi per raccontarmi quante stelle avevi contato», aggiunse lui sottovoce. La vide voltarsi e posargli le labbra all’interno del polso. «Ti ho sempre voluta per me, dal primo momento». Le posò il pollice accanto alla piega della bocca delicata, accarezzandola fino a che lei la schiuse, poi si chinò per accostare le labbra al suo collo. «Fallo ancora», le sussurrò contro la pelle. La sentì trasalire e accostarsi di più a lui, allora la bloccò sotto di sé, premendola contro il prato selvatico. «Conta le stelle per me, Eloise».