“But wasn't there some sort of rule that said parents had to be smarter than their kids? It didn't seem fair.”

“I leapt eagerly into books. The characters lives were so much more interesting than the lonely heartbeat of my own.”

“They have a baby grand piano, but no one in the family plays. They have shelves of books they've never read, and the tension between the couples was so thick it nearly choked us.”

“I stared at the enormous homes, the landscaping and flower beds immaculate. It was as if dollar bills, instead of leaves, hung from the trees.”

“Light fell, and so did my confidence.”

“We pushed to the edge of recklessness, yet I felt safe.”

“We all have the same root, and are connected...To tap into this connectedness we must go within.”

“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news”

“I'd rather be on the ground than underTo feel the heavy rain and the thunder.”