"He loved her without reservation, without hope, unconditionally."

-- Gustav Flaubert

"It is said of her beauty that no man of flesh and blood had ever gazed at her with enamoured eyes, and not loved woman and noble qualities ever after."

-- ibid 

"He that never had sorrow of love never had joy of it either."

-- Gottfried von Strassburg, Tristan 

"Then he found himself in a hall, which had an iron door at one end. This door he unlocked with his golden key, and he passed through into a vast chamber which had a roof of blue sprinkled with golden stars, and a carpet of green silk soft as turf. Twelve windows framed in gold let in the light of the sun, and on every window was painted the figure of a young girl, each more beautiful than the last. While the prince gazed at them in surprise, not knowing which he liked best, the girls began to lift their eyes and smile at him. He waited, expecting them to speak, but no sound came.

Suddenly he noticed that one of the windows was covered by a curtain of white silk.

He lifted it, and saw before him the image of a maiden beautiful as the day and sad as the tomb, clothed in a white robe, having a girdle of silver and a crown of pearls. The prince stood and gazed at her, as if he had been turned into stone, but as he looked the sadness which was on her face seemed to pass into his heart, and he cried out:

'This one shall be my wife. This one and no other.'"

-- Long, Broad, and Quickeye, Bohemian Fairytale

"Sir," said Sir Bors, "for all a man stems from an evil stock, namely from wicked parents, this gall is changed to sweetness the moment he is anointed with the holy chrism; therefore it seems to me that it is not fathers and mothers that determine whether a man be bad or good, but his own inclinations. A man's heart is the helm of his ship and steers it where he lists, to harbour or to hazard." -- anonymous, The Quest of the Holy Grail