A woman isn't all that different from a bonfire. A fire's a beautiful thing, right? Something you can't take your eyes off, when it's burning. If you can keep it contained, it'll throw light and heat for you. It's only when it gets out of control that you have to go on the offensive.

She wondered if this was true of every parent: if, prior to having children, they all used to be someone else.

i'm sure i'm worth a lot more dead than alive

Or in other words, it's the substance you've got when you start that determines the outcome.

Sometimes the key to happiness is just expecting a little bit less

Mistakes are like the memories you hide in an attic: old love letters from relationships that tanked, photos of dead relatives, toys from a childhood you miss. Out of sight is out of mind, but somewhere deep inside you know they still exist. And you also know that you're avoiding them.

I never said I do not remember, my grandmother corrects. I said I prefer to forget.