The lesson? To respond to the unexpected and hurtful behavior of others with something more than a wipe of the glasses, to see it as a chance to expand our understanding.

We may not agree with what religions are trying to teach us, but we can admire the institutional way in which they're doing it.

A good half of the art of living is resilience.

As victims of hurt, we frequently don't bring up what ails us, because so many wounds look absurd in the light of day.

The more familiar two people become, the more the language they speak together departs from that of the ordinary, dictionary-defined discourse. Familiarity creates a new language, an in-house language of intimacy that carries reference to the story the two lovers are weaving together and that cannot be readily understood by others.

The problem is if you really believe in a society where those who merit to get to the top, get to the top, you’ll also, by implication … believe in a society where those who deserve to get to the bottom also get to the bottom and stay there.

One of love's greatest drawbacks is that, for a while at least, it is in danger of making us happy.