She laughed out loud, a warm, knowing laughter that made me once again wonder about the secret ingredient in these women’s lives. Whatever it was, I was clearly missing it. It was so much more than just self-confidence; it seemed to be the ability to love oneself, enthusiastically and unsparingly, body and soul, naturally followed by the assumption that every man on the planet is dying to get in on the act.

Only weak men want women to be weak.

Everything we say is a story. But nothing we say is just a story.

I am sorry I didn’t tell you the truth before. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to. You kept asking about Romeo and what he was really like. I was hoping that”—he smiled wistfully—“you would recognize me.

In many ways, a degree in the history of ideas is the ideal training for an aspiring writer.

You were right and I was wrong. When life hurts more than death, it is not worth living.

By the time we left college, I had become my own image: a dandelion in the flower bed of society. Kinda cute, but still a weed.