Mother could go for one year without food, but not one day without her lip sticks.

In my own worst seasons I've come back from the colorless world of despair by forcing myself to look hard, for a long time, at a single glorious thing: a flame of red geranium outside my bedroom window. And then another: my daughter in a yellow dress. And another: the perfect outline of a full, dark sphere behind the crescent moon. Until I learned to be in love with my life again. Like a stroke victim retraining new parts of the brain to grasp lost skills, I have taught myself joy, over and over again(15).

You can’t replace people you love with other people…But you can trust that you’re not going to run out of people to love.

If you're standing in the manure pile, it's somebody's job to mention the stink.

Even feigning surprise, pretending it was unexpected and saying a ritual thanks, is surely wiser than just expecting everything so carelessly.

Libraries are the one American institution you shouldn't rip off.

Honk if you love Jesus, text while driving if you want to meet up.