He couldn't bear to live, but he couldn't bear to die. He couldn't bear the thought of he making love to someone else, but neither could he bear the absence of the thought. And as for the note, he couldn't bear to keep it, but he couldn't bear to destroy it either.

To remember my values, I need to lose certain tastes and find other handles for the memories that they once helped me carry.

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.

Ironically, the utterly unselective omnivore -- "I'm easy; I'll eat anything" -- can appear more socially sensitive than the individual who tries to eat in a way that is good for society.

Technology celebrates connectedness, but encourages retreat.

Compassion is a muscle that gets stronger with use, and the regular exercise of choosing kindness over cruelty would change us.

Words are capable of making experience more vivid, and also of organizing it. They can scare us, and they can comfort us.