Berkeley BART station. Bright-eyed old man, stooped but alert, stares wonderingly at the books I carry, asks, "Is that Socrates you're reading?"

Later, "Did you know he said, 'The unexamined life is not worth living', and, 'To improve yourself you should get married'?"

I ask him if he thinks marriage has improved his character; he tells me definitely, "I'm a better person for it."