“Freedom is something that you give yourself and no one else can ever take away.”

“Only you can take inner freedom away from yourself, or give it to yourself. Nobody else can.”

“It takes a lot of spine and stomach to make yourself into something when no one gives you a foundation.”

“Courage is one thing that no one can ever take away from you.”

“Because cooks love the social aspect of food, cooking for one is intrinsically interesting. A good meal is like a present, and it can feel goofy, at best, to give yourself a present. On the other hand, there is something life affirming in taking the trouble to feed yourself well, or even decently. Cooking for yourself allows you to be strange or decadent or both. The chances of liking what you make are high, but if it winds up being disgusting, you can always throw it away and order a pizza; no one else will know. In the end, the experimentation, the impulsiveness, and the invention that such conditions allow for will probably make you a better cook.”

“But, the thing about guilt is, no one can take away for you; you have to unpack it yourself.”