That of all people, it should be him; that took her aback. That the heart should settle on somebody like him; that surprised her. But she was so certain about it, so certain.

How many of us are happy to be exactly where we are at any moment?...only the completely happy think that they are in the correct place.

The previously unloved may find it hard to believe that they are now loved; that is such a miracle, they feel; such a miracle.

There is room in history for all of us.

One of the most destructive things that's happening in modern society is that we are losing our sense of the bonds that bind people together - which can lead to nightmares of social collapse.

Every small wrong, every minor act of cruelty, every act of petty bullying was symbolic of a greater wrong. And if we ignored these small things, then did it not blunt our outrage over the larger wrongs?

I just focus on getting the first scene right, with a few lines about the overall plot, and then the book grows organically.