“Being a writer all boils down to this: It's you, in a chair, staring at a page. And you're either going to stay in that chair until words are written, or you're going to give up and walk away. The ...”

“The true measure of a man is how he treats you when others are not looking.”

“A gentleman holds my hand.A man pulls my hair.A soulmate will do both.”

“(Regarding Marriage) Both people need to care deeply about the other person, to put the others needs before their own, and to make a daily commitment to that person to stick it out.”

“Incredible how quickly a world can change. How my entire person, our friendship, can be reduced to nothing, with just one confession.”

“The heart is stubborn. It holds onto love despite what sense and emotion tells it. And it is often, in the battle of those three, the most brilliant of all.”

“I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. (xxvi)”

“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.”

“Birthdays could be such a bummer when you were older than the country you lived in.”