Because letting someone in close meant they could hurt you. I knew all about that kind of fear. I lived with it.

I realized I wasn't going to find a man until I was willing to expose myself to possible harm, to assume the risks of rejection and betrayal and heartbreak that came along with caring about someone. Someday, I promised myself, I would be ready for that kind of risk.

I'm not the marrying kind -" St. Vincent snorted. "No man is. Marriage is a female invention.

It was a confirmation of a connection that already existed. And it was a bond that extended far beyond the borders of a shared living space. We would have stayed together even without a marriage certificate . . . but I believed in the permanence it represented. It was a piece of paper you could build a life on.

There is no peace in poverty

It’s all right,” the boy murmured as he felt her trembling. “My grandmother always told me ‘Never try to turn back on a new road—you don’t know what adventures await you.

I'm a big believer in putting things off, In fact, I even put off procrastinating. -Ella Varner