For the rest of history, for most of us, our bright promise will always fall short of being actualised; it will never earn us bountiful sums

For the rest of history, for most of us, our bright promise will always fall short of being actualised; it will never earn us bountiful sums of money or beget exemplary objects or organisations….

Most of us stand poised at the edge of brilliance, haunted by the knowledge of our proximity, yet still demonstrably on the wrong side of the line, our dealings with reality undermined by a range of minor yet critical psychological flaws a little too much optimism, an unprocessed rebelliousness, a fatal impatience or sentimentality. We are like an exquisite high-speed aircraft which for lack of a tiny part is left stranded beside the runway, rendered slower than a tractor or a bicycle.

–
Alain de Botton,

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

He swallowed and shifted his weight a little uneasily, and then said, very quietly, his lips almost touching hers, ‘Promise me you’ll marry

He swallowed and shifted his weight a little uneasily, and then said, very quietly, his lips almost touching hers, ‘Promise me you’ll marry me. Not now. Someday. Because I need to know.’
Claier felt a flutter inside, like a bird trying to fly, and a ruch of heat that made her dizzy. And something else, something fragile as a soap bubble, and just as beautiful. Joy, in the middle of all this horror and heartbreak.
‘Yes,’ she whispered back. ‘I promise.’
And she kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him, while the sun came up and bathed Morganville in one last, shining day.

–
Rachel Caine,

Last Breath