I feel about mothers the way I feel about dimples: because I do not have one myself, I notice everyone who does.

Apathy is the self-defense of the powerless.

If family violence teaches children that might makes right at home, how will we hope to cure the futile impulse to solve worldly conflicts with force?

As the mother of a son, I do not accept that alienation from me is necessary for his discovery of himself. As a woman, I will not cooperate in demeaning womanly things so that he can be proud to be a man. I like to think the women in my son's future are counting on me.

It's smart to be friends with one's sex partner but dumb to have sex with one's friends.

Friendships aren't perfect and yet they are very precious. For me, not expecting perfection all in one place was a great release.

I used to anticipate my childhood birthday parties as if each were an annual coronation. Like most kids, I loved sitting at the head of the table with a crown on my head.