To be human is to be in a story.

The minute you become conscious that you are doing good, that's the minute you have to stop because from then on it's wrong.

Families hold each other in an iron grip of definition. One must break the grip, somehow.

You'll see some bad things, but if you didn't see them, they'd still be happening.

When you read to a child, when you put a book in a child's hands, you are bringing that child news of the infinitely varied nature of life. You are an awakener.

When there's a terrible murder people who are interviewed say, 'This has always been a quiet neighborhood.' That is so dumb and uninformed! The earth is not a quiet neighborhood. There isn't anyplace that's a quiet neighborhood. People are asking themselves how to stay neat in the cyclone.

It was hard to reassure grown-ups when you weren't certain yourself what you were feeling and thinking—when thoughts dissolved before you could name them.