I had known a couple of people who had died, but the loss of my mother contained something of the profoundly unknowable.

Grief is depression in proportion to circumstance; depression is grief out of proportion to circumstance.

It is nearly impossible to hate anyone whose story you know.

The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality, and it was vitality that seemed to seep out of me.

We cannot bear a pointless torment, but we can endure great pain if we believe that it's purposeful.

A sense of humor is the best indicator that you will recover; it is often the best indicator that people will love you. Sustain that and you have hope.

I can see the beauty of glass objects fully at the moment when they slip from my hand

I believe that words are strong, that they can overwhelm what we fear when fear seems more awful than life is good.

We don't seek the painful experiences that hew our identities, but we seek our identities in the wake of painful experiences.

Life is enriched by difficulty; love is made more acute when it requires exertion.

When you believe that you cannot stitch your own heart back together, go to work on the hearts of other people; there is no surer way to repair yourself than to repair them.

In a way, it's all down to perception, isn't it? And everyone has their own take on everything.

I like feeling at home and knowing people. I like talking about ideas and being friendly.

God loves happy people.

If (a particular researcher) won't stop when you ask nicely, when you picket in front of his house, or when you burn his car, maybe he'll stop when you hit him over the head with a two-by-four.

The landscape of childhood shapes us as it shapes the characters in our stories. You never forget the sacred places of your childhood.

When we are on our right path, we have a surefootedness.

Elections with integrity are a challenge everywhere, including in the West.

God has enough grace to solve every dilemma you face, wipe every tear you cry, and answer every question you ask.

But she's a nut, and nuts win.

I have been holding a dialogue with myself and girding myself to stand fast without running.