That's what great company and good conversation at the dinner table do- it makes me contemplative, in a happy way. Tonight, we flit across topics. Much joviality juxtaposed by serious thoughts and reflection.
Before the end of the evening, an odd little scene and a couple of quotes sprung up unbidden. Not exactly related to the various topics spoken about. Different context, but the angst would be similar. Once I got home, found the book, flipped to the relevant portions and re-read that few chapters.
Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth--so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane--quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart is beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot ...
~ As uttered by Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, in her rebuttal to Mr Rochester, and her ultimate decision to stand by her values, choosing to rely on God and His laws to sustain her.
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