“and sure enough, emmett's voice rose above the din. at some point, though, a mistake becomes a decision, whether you like it or not. in this, my husband and i were fundamentally different. in my opinion, a mistake required a getaway. ”

“But suppose one doesn't quite know which one wants to put first. Suppose," said Harriet, falling back on words which were not her own, "suppose one is cursed with both a heart and a brain?""You can usually tell," said Miss de Vine, "by seeing what kind of mistakes you make. I'm quite sure that one never makes fundamental mistakes about the thing one really wants to do. Fundamental mistakes arise out of lack of genuine interest. In my opinion, that is.”

“Hats, like first husbands in my experience, are usually a mistake.”

“...there's no mistake if you can resolve it, whether it's in your music or in your life. Sometimes the mistake motivates you or elevates you to a different circumstance that can be better. If I make a mistake, I'm going to develop that mistake, so it doesn't sound like a mistake. -Dave Brubeck”

“I have a very steadfast tendency to parent myself, to monitor my development into the person I want to be. I try to keep the corruption minimal. And though I advocate learning from my mistakes as much as making mistakes, I also try and make sure my mistakes do not cost other people.”

“Some of the worst mistakes in my life were haircuts”