So much in life came down to timing.

In each man's heart there lies a hole. A dark abyss of need, the filling of which takes precedence over all else.

She hadn't wanted to be loved carefully, only well.

She felt like a fictional character who'd escaped the book in which her creator had carefully and kindly trapped her, taken a pair of scissors to her outline and leaped, free.

Always remember, with a strong enough will, even the weak can wield great power.

You must learn to know the difference between tales and the truth, my Liza, she would say. Fairy tales have a habit of ending too soon. They never show what happens afterwards when the prince and princess ride off the page.

Better to lose oneself in action than to wither in despair.