Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca

It seemed incredible to me now that I had never understood. I wondered how many people there are in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth. This was what I had done. I had never had the courage to demand the truth.