He let his mind wander. It went to a predictable place, and he missed her

...But there's always suffering, Pudge. Homework or malaria or having a boyfriend who lives far away when there's a good-looking boy lying next to you. Suffering is universal. It's the one thing Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims are all worried about.

That's why those tapes we made are going to be so great one day, because they'll tell stories that time has swallowed up or distorted or whatever.

That was the worst part about having cancer, sometimes: The physical evidence of disease separates you from other people.

The Side Effects of Dying in Your Pants isn't really funny… Alright, it's a little funny.

I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.

How can you read and talk at the same time?” I asked. “Well, I usually can’t, but neither the book nor the conversation is particularly intellectually challenging.