I tell myself it does not matter what one reads-favorite authors, particular themes-as long as we read something. It is not even important to own the books.

I later realized that this is my view of passion: It is rooted in genuine friendship. Chemistry may be two strangers exchanging smoldering looks—but passion has to be able to survive at least a twenty-minute conversation!

Only sometimes when we pick and choose among the rules we discover later that we have set aside something precious in the process.

I know something of shame...How can we not all feel it? We are all small-minded people, creeping about the earth grubbing for our own adventure and making the very mistakes for which we want to humiliate our neighbors......I think we wake up every day with high intentions and by dusk we have routinely fallen short. Sometimes I think God created the darkness just so he didn't have to look at us all the time.

Life does often get in the way of one's reading.

We are all small-minded people, creeping about the earth grubbing for our own advantage and making the very mistakes for which we want to humiliate our neighbors.

You cannot run away from what’s in your heart.