“Arjun: ...the men are talking because you're beautiful.Sita: ...I would much rather they talk about me because I'm skilled.”

“Pain moves us forward, changing us into something else, something we need to be.”

“Sometimes, Anu, we have to take actions that make us sad because it's the right thing to do for the future.”

“The only words free of suspicious motives will be the ones I find in books.”

“We can help pave the roads of those around us, but we can't choose their direction.”

“When a storm comes, bamboo bends. It doesn't break.”

“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”

“Seek a slower, simpler life.”

“There is no such thing as escape after all, only an exchange of one set of difficulties for another. It wasn't Mark or the farm or marriage I was trying to shake loose from but my own imperfect sel...”

“Talking won't change it. But sometimes it was what she wanted most, to tell someone; often, though, she just wanted to escape those horrid feelings, to escape herself, so there was no pain, no fear...”