“I am so honored to be the vessel into which you pour this story of pain and strength.”

“you got a sad story, ruth,' mimba said. 'but not sad-sad. you here with me and cato and all us together now. you have a happy-sad story. best you can get in this life is happy-sad. but you always gotta remember your own mama that birthed you. even though you only got a crumb of her story, you still got to say her name out loud. you always honor your dead, else you get trouble from them, sure.”

“One of his tears fell in my mouth, where it became a blue sapphire, source of strength, source of strength and eternal hope.”

“The story it told was unremarkable: a tale of love found and lost- the oldest story in the world. The only story.”

“on the day that the intlligence and talents of women are fully honored and employed, the human community and the planet itself will benefit in ways we can only begin to imagine.”

“The painful things seemed like knots on a beautiful necklace, necessary for keeping the beads in place.”

“If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully. Stories about food show a strong connection. Wistful silences demonstrate unfinished business. The more a daughter knows about the details of her mother's life - without flinching or whining - the stronger the daughter.”