I can remember being home from school with tonsillitis and writing stories in bed to pass the time.

It's a mystery. That's the first thing that interests me about the idea of God. If there is one, it's mysterious and powerful and awesome to even consider the concept, and you have to take it seriously.

She felt like someone who drowns remembering what it was like to still be on the boat, so calm and at ease, so carelessly safe

Americans are apocalyptic by nature. The reason why is that we've always had so much, so we live in deadly fear that people are going to take it away from us.

Any parting could be forever, and we don't know.

If you were seeing a lot of horseshit, there had to be a pony in the vicinity.

Hug and kiss whoever helped get you - financially, mentally, morally, emotionally - to this day. Parents, mentors, friends, teachers. If you're too uptight to do that, at least do the old handshake thing, but I recommend a hug and a kiss. Don't let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.