E. M. Forster, A Room With A View

"Take an an old man's word: there's nothing worse than a muddle in all the world. It is easy to face Death and Fate, and things that sound so dreadful. It is on my muddles that I look back with horror...do trust me, Miss Honeychurch. Though life is very glorious, it is difficult…'Life,' wrote a friend of mine, 'is a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the instrument as you go along.'"