Quotation from: The Valley of the Moon

Written by: Jack London

"I'll tell you what you remind me of. Did you ever see a
thoroughbred mare, all shinin' in the sun, with hair like satin
an' skin so thin an' tender that the least touch of the whip
leaves a mark--all fine nerves, an' delicate an' sensitive,
that'll kill the toughest bronco when it comes to endurance an'
that can strain a tendon in a flash or catch death-of-cold
without a blanket for a night? I wanta tell you they ain't many
beautifuler sights in this world. An' they're that fine-strung,
an' sensitive, an' delicate. You gotta handle 'em right-side up,
glass, with care. Well, that's what you remind me of. And I'm
goin' to make it my job to see you get handled an' gentled in the
same way. You're as different from other women as that kind of a
mare is from scrub work-horse mares. You're a thoroughbred.
You're clean-cut an' spirited, an' your lines . . .