"Vronsky was particularly fortunate in that he had a code of rules which clearly defined what should and should not be done. This code covered a very small circle of conditions, but it was unquestionable, and Vronsky, never going beyond that circle, never for a moment hesitated to do what had to be done. The code categorically determined that though the card-sharper must be paid, the tailor ned not be; that one may not lie to a man, but might to a woman; that one must not deceive anyone, except a husband; that one must not forgive an insult but may insult others, and so on. These rules might be irrational and bad but they were absolute, and in complying with them Vronsky felt at ease and could carry his head high. Only quite lately, in reference to his relations to Anna, had he began to feel that his code did not quite meet all circumstances, and that the future presented doubts and difficulties for which he had no guide principle.
(...)

She was a respectable woman who had givem him her love, and he loved her (...) He would have let his hand be cut off before he would have allowed himself by word or hint to insult her, or fail to show her all the respect that a woman can possibily desire."

Leo Tolstoy. Anna Karenina. Part III, chapter XX.
(eu não largo mais esse livro)  ¶ Tuesday, December 05, 2006