[S]he believed that the Buddhists were right–that if you want, you will suffer; if you love, you will grieve. (68)

Mattie sat at the table, obsessing, orbiting around herself. She was sick of her worried, hostile mind. It would have killed her long before, she felt, if it hadn't needed the transportation.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.

I was raised by my parents to believe that you had a moral obligation to try and help save the world.

When I was young, I used to be so jealous of other girls that it crippled me.

The women's movement burst forth when I was fifteen. That was when I began to believe that life might semi-work out after all. The cavalry had arrived. Women were starting to say that you got to tell the truth now, that you had to tell the truth if you were going to heal and have an authentic life.

Joy is the best makeup. But a little lipstick is a close runner-up.