"I may be cynical when I say that very rarely is the beloved more than a shaping spirit for the lover's dreams. And perhaps such a thing is enough. To be a muse may be enough. The pain is when the dreams change, as they do, as they must. Suddenly the enchanted city fades and you are left alone again the windy desert. As for your beloved, she didn't understand you. The truth is, you never understood yourself."

- Sexing the Cherry, Jeanette Winterson