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I, bundle of loosely tied complexes that I was, did not possess that grace (i.e. of receiving). I could lend money, but I could not borrow it; I sometimes went to great trouble to render a service to a friend, but if the reverse happened, I felt ashamed, guilty and broke into a lot of profuse thanks. For a long time I believed that those were the signs of an unselfish and noble character. Until one day Maria remarked across the kitchen table: "You have the vanity to give but you lack the generosity to take."
taken from:
The Invisible Writing page 288
