• (Van and Ada)

"They were, at least, doing something- keeping up a semblance of consecutive action in which, despite the brilliant conversational gifts both possessed, would degenerate into a desperate vacuum of self-conscious loafing with no other resource than affected wit followed by silence."

• (Ada to Van)

"But this," exclaimed Ada, "is certain, this is reality, this is pure fact- this forest, this moss, your hand, the ladybird on my leg, this cannot be taken away, can it? (it will, it was.) This has all come together here, no matter how the paths twisted, and fooled each other, and got fouled up: they inevitably met here!"

• (Observation by Narrator)

"We have all seen the person who after gaily greeting a friend crosses the street with that smile still on his face- to be eclipsed by the stare of the stranger who might have missed the cause and mistaken the effect for the bright leer of madness."

• (Ada to Van)

"Je raffole de tout ce qui rampe." - I'm crazy about everything that crawls.

• (Ada to Van)

"I am sentimental." She said. "I could dissect a koala but not it's baby. I like the words damozel, églantine, elegant. I love when you kiss my elongated white hand."

• (Ada on Van)

"of course I did and yet, I adore him. I think he's quite crazy, and with no place of occupation in life, and far from happy, and philosophically irresponsible, and there is absolutely nobody like him."