A defect of the understanding perhaps, which only began to vibrate on repeated solicitations, or which did vibrate, if you like, but at a lower frequency, or a higher, than that of ratiocination, if such a thing is conceivable, and such a thing is conceivable, since I
can conceive it. Yes, the words I heard, and heard distinctly, having quite a sensitive ear, were heard a first time, then a second, and even often a third, as pure sounds, free of all meaning, and this is
probably one of the reasons why conversation is unspeakably painful to me. And the words I uttered myself, and which must nearly always have gone with an effort of the intellegence, were often to me as the buzzing of an insect. And this is perhaps one of the reasons I was so untalkative.
--Samuel Beckett, Molloy |