Inconsistent soul that man is!––languishing under wounds, which he has the power to heal!––his whole life a contradiction to his knowledge!––his reason, that precious gift of God to him––(instead of pouring in oil) serving but to sharpen his sensibilities,––to multiply his pains, and render him more melancholy and uneasy under them!

Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy (Penguin Books, 1988) pp. 211-212