She realized all at once the deeper thing that bothered her, the thing that made him not just irritating but intolerable: how he kept loving her blindly when she deserved it so little.

It's always nervewracking to put yourself out there. But it's the root of joy.

She hadn't chosen the brave life. She'd chosen the small, fearful one.

Developing characters is a strange thing. In the beginning they are abstract and I wonder how to move on from there.

Luck never gives; it lends.

When I turned fifteen, I remember my father gave me a credit card which I was allowed to use for two things: emergencies and books.

I look back on my 20s. It's supposed to be the prime of your life, the most vital, the most beautiful. But you're making your critical decisions and sometimes your most critical mistakes.