Impressed. Lord. He had nearly drowned.

Miss Edmunds was one of his secrets. He was in love with her. Not the kind of silly stuff Ellie and Brenda giggled about on the telephone. This was too real and too deep to talk about, even to think about very much.

I woke up one morning and realized that what I wanted to say to everyone - children, young people, adults - was: Read for your life.

Mandarin ducks mate for life and will die of loneliness if separated from their chosen mate.

If we marvel at the artist who has written a great book, we must marvel more at those people whose lives are works of art and who don't even know it, who wouldn't believe it if they were told. However hard work good writing may be, it is easier than good living.

The last dregs of winter spoiling the taste of everything.

You never know ahead of time what something's really going to be like.