I figured anybody who talked about church as much as she did was using it a little like cocaine anyhow.

When people can do something simple to avoid conflict--say, hit a button or unlock a latch--they'll generally do it.

Because depression is so thematically powerful and so dark, when it's very severe, it can make people feel not only as if they've lost a loving connection, but as if the whole world is devoid of love. So if we wonder how somebody could take 149 people with him when he commits suicide, one answer can be that depression, when it's most severe, can make people feel that life is completely without value, not just for them but for anyone.

A jealous husband is an ugly thing.

The good guys had to operate on a higher level than the killers--just for society to keep track of who was who.

For a psychiatrist to be any good, he has to be willing to corner you, close off the easy exits, even when it hurts. It's supposed to. (46)

The roots of any evil deed can be traced to the perpetrator's refusal to experience pain.