"Airports see more sincere kisses than wedding halls. The walls of hospitals have heard more prayers than the walls of churches. "

"She marveled once again at how chameleon was the human mind — capable of shucking off a lifetime of values fast as a dirty shirt — able to angle that facts toward whatever it found convenient. "

"Reading was like an addiction; I read while I ate, on the train, in bed until late at night, in school, where I’d keep the book hidden so I could read during class. Before long I bought a small stereo and spent all my time in my room, listening to jazz records. But I had almost no desire to talk to anyone about the experience I gained through books and music. I felt happy just being me and no one else. In that sense I could be called a stack-up loner. "

"I saw him hip-deep in some icy water, chasing a book, and I saw a boy lying in bed, imagining how a kiss would taste from his glorious next-door neighbor. He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry. "