The measure of a man comes down to moments, spread out like dots of pain on the canvas on life. Everything you were, everything you'll someday be, resides in the small, seemingly ordinary choices of everyday life.....Each decision seems as insignificant as a left turn on an unfamiliar road when you have no destination in mind. But the decisions accumulate until you realize one day that they've made you the man that you are.
Kristin HannahI'm an insomniac lately. It's one of the many prizes you find in the Cracker Jack box of a crumbling [relationship].
Kristin HannahIt occurred to her suddenly, sharply, that she wanted to be in love... She wanted not to feel so damned alone in the world.
Kristin HannahOh, Mia. You havenโt even begun to find out who you really are, and, believe me, other boys are going to fall in love with you. If a guy canโt see how special you are, he isnโt good enough for you.
Kristin Hannah...This fear was unbearable. It unwrapped who she was, as neatly as he'd unwound her bandage, leaving too much pain and ugliness exposed. Nerve endings; he'd said they were the problem [causing phantom pain in the amputated limb]." Things that cut off, that ended abruptly or died--like parents and marriages--kept hurting forever.
Kristin Hannah