Men are more conventional than women and much slower to change their ideas.

But hope has an astonishing resilience and strength. Its very persistence in our hearts indicates that it is not a tonic for wishful thinkers but the ground on which realists stand.

Pay close attention to objects, events and natural phenomenon that would otherwise get chewed up in the daily grind.

I've come to see conspiracy theories as the refuge of those who have lost their natural curiosity and ability to cope with change.

I am learning to see loneliness as a seed that, when planted deep enough, can grow into writing that goes back out into the world.

To be an American is to move on, as if we could outrun change. To attach oneself to place is to surrender to it, and suffer with it.

The very nature of marriage means saying yes before you know what it will cost. Though you may say the “I do” of the wedding ritual in all sincerity, it is the testing of that vow over time that makes you married.