It meant that she belonged some place. She was a Brooklyn girl with a Brooklyn name and a Brooklyn accent. She didn't want to change into a bit of this and a bit of that.

I can never give a 'yes' or a 'no.' I don't believe everything in life can be settled by a monosyllable.

Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on earth filled with glory.

You won't die, Francie. You were born to lick this rotten life.

Everything, decided Francie after that first lecture, was vibrant with life and there was no death in chemistry. She was puzzled as to why learned people didn't adopt chemistry as a religion.

She had become accustomed to being lonely. She was used to walking alone and to being considered 'different.' She did not suffer too much.

I need someone. I need to hold somebody close. And I need more than this holding. I need someone to understand how I feel at a time like now. And the understanding must be part of the holding.