Royal Young's writing is that rare blend of irony and beauty.

When somebody leaves this plane—or, if you like, goes into another room—those left behind sometimes try and stop loving—but this is a mistake, because even if you have loved only once in your life, you’re ruined.

You can't put a price on the rituals of love, because you never know what will happen next. I suppose fear is part of the excitement and we can't have one without the other.

I don’t see the point of truth anymore, it causes just as much heartbreak as lying.

Even if you have loved only once in your life, you're ruined.

We see in others what we want and what we fear.

It's true the people we meet shape us. But the people we don't meet shape us also, often more because we have imagined them so vividly. There are people we yearn for but never seem to meet.