It's my motto for life. 'Walk slowly; drink lots of water.

Whatever it is you're seeking won't come in the form you're expecting.

I'm always tripped up by the eternal who am I?

My arm was not what she needed, but the arm of someone else. My warmth was not what she needed, but the warmth of someone else.

My priority is my books, at least at this point. What I have to do is write the narrative of this time.

It's all matter of attitude. You could let a lot of things bother you if you wanted to But it's pretty much the same anywhere you go, you can manage.

I laughed. “You’re too young to be so … pessimistic,” I said, using the English word. “Pessi-what?” “Pessimistic. It means looking only at the dark side of things.” “Pessimistic … pessimistic …” She repeated the English to herself over and over, and then she looked up at me with a fierce glare. “I’m only sixteen,” she said, “and I don’t know much about the world, but I do know one thing for sure. If I’m pessimistic, then the adults in this world who are not pessimistic are a bunch of idiots.