Quotes from Pauline Réage

But she could not move of her own free will—an order from them would immediately have made her get up, but this time what they wanted from her was not blind obedience, acquiescence to an order, they wanted her to anticipate orders, to judge herself a slave and surrender herself as such. This, then, is what they called her consent.

Then he took her, and it seemed to O that it had been so long since he had that, subconsciously, she realized she had begun to doubt whether he really desired her any longer, and in his act she saw proof of love.

What lover would not be terrified if he were to weigh for one moment the full implication of his declaration, which is not made lightly, to commit himself for life?

I should like to punish myself for having been happy before I met you!

there's one thing anyway I want you to tell her, and tell her right away, and that is that I'm in love with her." "Is that true?

For today we hear seemingly normal people, even those with a level head on their shoulders, blithely speaking of love as though it were some frothy feeling of no real consequence.

All we ask you to do is submit to it, and, if you scream or moan, to agree ahead of time that it will be in vain

Y es que René la dejaba libre y ella detestaba su libertad. Su libertad era peor que cualquier cadena.

In a loud voice, he told her that he loved her. O, trembling, was terrified to notice that she answered "I love you," and that it was true.

She received it as a god is received

Que no era libre? Ah, gracias a Dios, no lo era. Pero se sentía ligera, una diosa sobre las nubes, un pez en el agua, colmada de felicidad.

She was vanquished, undone, and humiliated that she had moaned.

It was not the caress of her lips the length of him was looking for, but the back of her throat.

without leaving his armchair, without even touching her with his fingertips, he ordered her to kneel down in front of him, take him and caress his sex until he discharged in her mouth.

Thus, he had thrust his hands and sex into her, ransacked and ravaged her mouth and rear, but condescended only to place his lips upon her fingertips.

It was true that she had been passed from hand to hand as often as were the prostitutes in brothels, so why should they treat her otherwise?

A René por el contrario, se le veía ciego de deseo ante ella, paralizado por un amor que él no había conocido hasta entonces, un amor lleno de inquietud, inseguro de ser correspondido y temeroso de desagradar.

Was that all my love was, all it meant? So light, so easily gone and forgotten? Is solace that simple? And solace is not even the right word: I'm happy.

Who pities those who wait? They are easily recognized: by their gentleness, by their falsely attentive looks—attentive, yes, but to something other than what they are looking at—by their absentmindedness.

Once she had been indifferent and fickle, someone who enjoyed tempting, by a word or gesture, the boys who were in love with her, but without giving them anything, then giving herself impulsively, for no reason, once and only once, as a reward, but also to inflame them even more and render a passion she did not share even more cruel. She was sure that they loved her.

IT IS A FEARFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD No

a worrisome, uncertain love, one he was far from sure was requited, a love that acts not, for fear of offending.

such modesty and shame in a whore! Just

From now on the only times you will open your mouth here in the presence of a man will be to cry out or to caress." So