“If he didn't want to be mauled, he shouldn't have put himself right in my path.”

“I want you to put 'He didn't want to ride the damn horse' on my tombstone.”

“If they didn't want to know, they shouldn't have asked.”

“Cord put his hat on and pulled it low, hiding his eyes. 'Grown man walks around with his eyes shut tight, he shouldn't be surprised if he bumps into something he didn't see. You aren't trying to convince anybody of anything they don't want to believe.”

“[He] didn't view the less idyllic chapters of his life as the results of "mistakes." He didn't believe in mistakes. He believed in a preordained path, and so far every point on this path had felt right. Every bad relationship had felt right, every shitty job he'd done had felt right - because he'd chosen them.”

“Rustin knew that Tommy was right. It was high time he stopped being so passive. After all, he'd moved halfway across the country to start his life over. If he didn't have the balls to put himself out there and take the bull by the horns - or the cowboy by the balls - then he deserved to be alone and lonely.”