You need to have a reader's sympathy in order to accomplish anything. It's like at a reading, I find it's better to read something funny than to read something tragic. It just goes over better because you have a finite amount of time with somebody. Of course, in a book, you have a lot of time. But you still do want to make a certain impression right when you begin.

When I looked at you, my life made sense. Even the bad things made sense. They were necessary to make you possible.

It's a good rule of thumb, it seems to me: if you're not allowed to see where something comes from, don't put it in your mouth.

I wanted to cry but I didn't, I probably should have cried, I should have drowned us there in the room ending our suffering.

I write because I want to end my loneliness. Books make people less alone. That, before and after everything else, is what books do. They show us that conversations are possible across distances.

These little daily choices that we're so used to thinking are irrelevant are the most important thing we do all day long.

But what she was really trying to say was this: I like music better than anything in the world, after you.