«For me it's vulgar, my mother tongue, my mother's tongue, her thick lips, her tongue that twisted and turned and lashed out at me, my mother's mouth, red lipstick that leaves spots, white teeth, the strand of saliva between the upper and lower lips, how to tear the English language apart, tear my tongue to shreds, but the words will always fall right side up like a cat and people will always keep on going, chin-up, chin-chin, if it's not valid keep on going anyway, find out what you have in common, homonym, comment, commère, comme mère, mare, cauchemar, mare au diable, diabolo menthe, mentir, m'en tirer, m'étirer, métier, quoi qu'ils fassent ils ont toujours raison de le faire, les ouvriers, les artisans, les businessmen, les chefs d'Etat, les intellos, moi je dirai jamais ça, je saboterai d'abord.»

Nancy Huston, Les Variations Goldberg, Variatio XI.