“Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.”

“The trick. . .is to find the balance between the bright colors of humor and the serious issues of identity, self-loathing, and the possibility for intimacy and love when it seems no longer possible...”

“Anyone who is considered funny will tell you, sometimes without even your asking, that deep inside they are very serious, neurotic, introspective people.”

“Sometimes I want to clean up my desk and go out and say, Respect me; Im a respectable grown-up!" and other times I just want to jump into a paper bag and shake and bake myself to death.”

“Because of Mozart, it's all over after the age of seven.”

“No matter how lonely you get or how many birth announcements you receive the trick is not to get frightened. There's nothing wrong with being alone.”

“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.”

“Instead of communicating "I love you, so let me make life easy for you," I decided that my message needed to be something more along these lines: "I love you. I believe in you. I know what you're c...”

“Eric moved the broom experimentally and made an attempt to sweep the glass into the pan while it lay in the middle of the floor. Of course, the pan slid away. Eric scowled.I'd finally found somethi...”

“I gladly gave my aunt the privilege of scraping off all gum so my job wasnt as interesting or horrifying. I did find a few more menu drawings--a babys scribble, an elaborate tic-tac-toe board, and ...”