one of the best and the most painful things about time traveling has been the opportunity to see my mother alive.

I’m curious about things that people aren’t supposed to see—so, for example, I liked going to the British Museum, but I would like it better if I could go into all the offices and storage rooms, I want to look in all the drawers and—discover stuff. And I want to know about people. I mean, I know it’s probably kind of rude but I want to know why you have all these boxes and what’s in them and why all your windows are papered over and how long it’s been that way and how do you feel when you wash things and why don’t you do something about it?

The engagement ring is an emerald, and the dim light from the window is refracted green and white in it. The rings are silver, and they need cleaning. They need wearing, and I know just the girl to wear them.

...all of our laments could not add a single second to her life, not one additional beat of the heart, nor a breath.

And Clare, always Clare.

There's always world enough and time.

I look at him, look at the book, remember, this book, this moment, the first book I ever loved