the Aphorisms of the Veiled Countess

there is no such thing as irrefutable logic apart from in mathematics.

Never be intimidated by bullying, yelling or swaggering, they are the shadowpuppetry of the smallminded.

Always keep something back.

Yearning is more fun than complacency, we are creatures of both habit and risk.

The prick of pathos in a relationship where one is being ignored, is not the same as excitement. With excitement, it's the resolution of the issue which is the focus, not the absence of the issue.

Most people cheat, try to cheat, or mentally cheat - if they dont, its AMAZING, if they do, you are not "worthless" or inadequate, you are going out with another human being, and the sooner you get less precious about your inviolablilty, the better.

stop mithering about your body. Look after it sensibly, and the forget about it. The sexiest people dont give a shit that they all do not ressemble a young Jane Fonda. You are wasting your youth worrying about it.

Good Time Friends can be breathtakingly callous and are never even that much fun in the good times. You can cull them, and go back to them if you are desperate. This is better than expending wasted effort in the meantime, trying to establish any sort of meaningful relationship.

Only trust your instincts if you make a habit of looking and listening on a regular basis - otherwise, an instinct is not an instinct, its a prejudice.

It is easy to fool good people and difficult to get bad people to trust you.

Lighten. Up.

do not be afraid of peace.

and from other people:

"Boredom is a sign of satisfied ignorance, blunted apprehension, crass sympathies, dull understanding, feeble powers of attention and irreclaimable weakness of character. "
James Bridie

"noone can make you feel inferior without your consent" Eleanor Roosevelt