I want the younger writer to know that she or he is meaningful, that what they have to say is powerful in this world. But they can't come indoors, they can't close the curtains, they can't, like, lock themselves away from the world and say nothing.

I sit there thinking about how much courage it takes to live an ordinary life.

I guess this is what marriage is, or was, or could be. You drop the mask. You allow the fatigue in. You lean across and kiss the years because they're the things that matter.

There are moments we return to, now and always. Family is like water - it has a memory of what it once filled, always trying to get back to the original stream.

I have different books for different times of the day, let alone different seasons of the year!

I'm only telling you on the truth," he said. "If you can't stand the truth, don't ask for it.

He realized that he had thought only about the first step, never imagined the last.