“I know all the objections that a pure and moral young man can give to claiming personal sovereignty. I know all the admirable labels to attach to not asserting one’s sovereignty. Well, Kenny’s difficulty is that he must be admirable whatever the cost. He lives in fear of a woman telling him he’s not. ‘Selfish’ is the word that cripples him. You selfish bastard. He’s terrified of that judgment, so that’s the judgment that rules.”
–Philip Roth, The Dying Animal