History is made of empires, and the United States was by far and away the greatest, richest, and fairest empire that had every dominated the earth. Inevitably, it would fall. Empires always did. But we were lucky, you said. We got to participate in the most fascinating social experiment ever attempted.

But what's so great about being a perfectionist?... You do all this work, and then the stuff you've made just pisses you off.

I never, ever took you for granted. We met too late for that; I was nearly thirty-three by then, and my past without you was too stark and insistent for me to find the miracle of companionship ordinary.

In a country that doesn't discriminate between fame and infamy, the latter presents itself as plainly more achievable.

I was mortified by the prospect of becoming hopelessly trapped in someone else's story.

The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.

You can't be stylish and petty at the same time.