You [her sister Edma] have a serious attachment, and a man's heart utterly devoted to you. You should realize how lucky you are... A woman has a huge need of affection. To try to withdraw into ourselves is to attempt the impossible.

remark to her sister Edma, circa 1870; as quoted in Degas, his Life, Times and Work Roy McMullen, Secker & Warburg, London 1985, p. 166