He had thought love as a policy made a lot of sense for those who could manage it, and anyone who could manage it belonged in religious life. The rest of us have to struggle with more ordinary love, the common or garden variety: love as a crippling condition. Love as a syndrome.

Doubt was much more energy efficient than conviction.

There were more ways to live than the ones given by one's superiors

Immortality is a chancy thing; it cannot be promised or earned. Perhaps it cannot even be identified for what it is.

The thing about a mirror is this: The one who stares into it is condemned to consider the world from her own perspective.

That's what misbehavior is all about, just a little extra loving being asked for.

She's sent the crows out to blind the guests coming for dinner!" What?" She's BLINDING THE GUESTS COMING FOR DINNER!" Well, that's one way to avoid having to dust, I suppose.