But in the end it wasn't up to me. The bigs things never are. Birth, I mean, and death. And love. And what love bequeaths to us before we're born.

Dieting fooled you into thinking you could control your life.

The window gave onto a view of dove-gray roofs and balconies, each one containing the same cracked flowerpot and sleeping feline. It was as if the entire city of Paris had agreed to abide by a single understated taste. Each neighbor was doing his or her own to keep up standards, which was difficult because the French ideal wasn't clearly delineated like the neatness and greenness of American lawns, but more of a picturesque disrepair. It took courage to let things fall apart so beautifully.

She was a large, disordered woman, like a child's drawing that didn't stay within the lines.

I was unemployable when I got out of college.

The television replaced the sound of conversation that was missing from my grandparents' lives.

I know that attaching memories to books may be going out of the world, but while it lasts, it's a strong record of your life.