“The wild notes of tuba and trumpet and trombone rattled and hummed through the trees. In the first group of musicians, there were kids as young as fourteen playing the tuba and one kid who probably...”

“He turned around to see the bass drum popping and the horn sections pointing their instruments to the balconies and sending glorious notes to the rooftops.”

“A good crowd had formed along the sidewalk and the concrete ledge that bordered Louis Armstrong Park. The anticipation was dizzying...New Orleans had the big-boy parades and [Jackson & Billy] could...”

“Ive lived in this world a long time, and you cant change what you like, even if youd want to.”

“The only way he could truly stick out in New Orleans was if he were walking down the street on fire.”

“The morning sun in New Orleans felt like it was trying to make a point, convincing the old world to believe something new.”

“I think the highest forgiveness is to accept that creation is thoroughly tangled, with every possible quality given outlet for expression. People need to accept once and for all that there is only ...”

“You couldn't relive your life, skipping the awful parts, without losing what made it worthwhile. You had to accept it as a whole--like the world, or the person you loved.”

“Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care about someone anymore. It's just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.”

“The only queer people are those who don't love anybody.”

“Yeah, the whole family knows. It's no big deal. One night at dinner I said, 'Mom, you know the forbidden love that Spock has for Kirk? Well, me too.' It was easier for her to understand that way.”

“I love you. The words reverberated between them, sinking into their skin, scored onto their hearts as they staked their claims to each others bodies, surrendering themselves and possessing each oth...”

“Oh, Cameron," Eldon replied in a whisper, moving closer and brushing his lips over Cameron's mouth. "You are literally the very reason my heart beats. Nothing I have lost can compare with the love ...”

“We do not start as dust. We do not end as dust. We make more than dust.That's all we ask of you. Make more than dust.”

“Love will work no matter what job i have, what nationality I claim, or what street i live on. It will work even if i kiss a woman. and it does.”