Pain is like fabric: The stronger it is, the more it’s worth.

We all matter - maybe less then a lot but always more than none.

Headline?" he asked. "'Swing Set Needs Home,'" I said. "'Desperately Lonely Swing Set Needs Loving Home,'" he said. "'Lonely, Vaguely Pedophilic Swing Set Seeks the Butts of Children,'" I said.

Every time I try to set something in Chicago, I get intimidated by 'Augie March.' It's easy to set something in Indianapolis - we don't have 'Augie March' here. But I love writing about Chicago, and I love being there and imagining lives in Chicago. I hope to set something there in the future, but it's intimidating.

I can't be you. You can't be me. You can imagine another well—but never quite perfectly, you know?

That tastes like hope feels.

There is no try. There is only do.