“That's when you know for sure somebody loves you. They figure out what you need and they give it to you -- without you asking.”

“I used to believe my art had to be about the things that brought me joy and gave me hope. But I learned that art can be found in all of life, even in pain. --Valentine, while in Italy (pg 267)”

“A handwritten letter carries a lot of risk. It's a one-sided conversation that reveals the truth of the writer. Furthermore, the writer is not there to see the reaction of the person he writes to, ...”

“He said a man should always have to work hard to win a woman's heart, because when he gets it, it's worth it, and he'll never take it for granted.”

“If you look around to find meaning in everything that happens, you will end up disappointed. Sometimes there arent reasons behind the terrible things that go on. I ask myself, If I knew all the ans...”

“I love you , Valentine is actually a popular phrase used in greeting cards.If you were sending me one, what would it say? he asks.I love you, too, Roman.And there it is, words that I dread to say a...”

“Some experiences are universal. A girl is a girl whether she lives in West Omaha or Sweet Valley. Books are often far more than books.”

“A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.”

“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,And all the sweet serenity of books”

“In a universe where all life is in movement, where ever fact seen in perspective is totally engaging, we impose stillness on lively young bodies, distort reality to dullness, make action drudgery. ...”

“If only she could be so oblivious again, to feel such love without knowing it, mistaking it for laughter. ”

“When you're a kid all you know is that your dad puts on his suit or overalls and vanishes from your life until nightfall. Sometimes my pops came back exhausted and scarlet-eyed, as if he'd been eng...”

“My mom, dad, grandparents, we all do voices.”

“Two of my grandparents died in a car crash. Sucks, 'cause they would have lived to a hundred.”

“Kids in a home with grandparents are healthier.”