Before modern feminism, stories of female ambition were silenced or erased; even now, they are told with apology ("Yes, it's a great honor to be a Nobel Prize laureate, but really, what I love best is staying home and being a mother to Kevin and Annie").

As many have observed, it is easy to tell a lie, but it is almost impossible to tell only one.

Being who we are requires that we can talk openly about things that are important to us, that we take a clear position on where we stand on important emotional issues, and that we clarify the limits of what is acceptable and tolerable to us in a relationship.

We commonly confuse closeness with sameness and view intimacy as the merging of two separate I's into one worldview.

Intimate relationships cannot substitute for a life plan. But to have any meaning or viability at all, a life plan must include intimate relationships.

The bolder and more courageous you are, the more you will learn about yourself.

We need to hear the sound of our voice for what we think and need.