I have felt no pleasure in rereading these first pages of my diary. Of course, I gave it a lot of thought before making up my mind to write it, but that’s not much of a comfort. For anyone who has the habit of prayer, thinking is all too often merely an alibi, a sly way of confirming us in our intentions. Reasoning easily leaves in shadow what we hope to keep hidden.
— Bernanos, Diary of a Country Priest (tr. Curtis)
Notes from a Room 