So this is why I write. Because most times, your life isn’t funny the first time through. Most times, you can hardly stand it. That’s why I write, because life never works except in retrospect. And writing makes you look back. Because since you can’t control life, at least you can control your version.

Anymore, no one's mind is their own.

Some stories, she’d say, the more you tell them, the faster you use them up. Those kind, the drama burns off, and every version, they sound more silly and flat. The other kind of story, it uses you up. The more you tell it, the stronger it gets. Those kind of stories only remind you how stupid you were. Are. Will always be.

You are permanent, but this life is not.

A writer’s job is to cultivate what can go wrong.

You have a choice. Live or die. Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. To be or not to be.

Having nothing to lose is the new wealth.