Silence. How long it lasted, I couldn't tell. It might have been five seconds, it might have been a minute. Time wasn't fixed. It wavered, stretched, shrank. Or was it me that wavered, stretched, and shrank in the silence? I was warped in the folds of time, like a reflection in a fun house mirror.

Start making excuses and there's no end to it. I can't live that kind of life.

Knowledge and ability were tools, not things to show off.

Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?

If you can love someone with your whole heart, even one person, then there's salvation in life. Even if you can't get together with that person.

If you really want to know what's happening here and now, you've got to use your own eyes and your own judgment.

What do we talk about? Just ordinary things. What happened today, or books we've read, or tomorrow's weather, you know. Don't tell me you're wondering if people jump to their feet and shout stuff like 'It'll rain tomorrow if a polar bear eats the stars tonight!