“Why did he keep going when everyone else got to start over?”

“People said things they didn't mean all the time. Everybody else in the world seemed able to factor it in. But not Lena. Why did she believe the things people said? Why did she cling to them so literally? Why did she think she knew people when she clearly didn't? Why did she imagine that the world didn't change, when it did? Maybe she didn't change. She believed what people said and she stayed the same." (Lena, 211)”

“Not everyone got a close family. Not everyone needed one.”

“when life gives you lemons, say, "yeah I like lemons, what else ya got"?”

“Like why Lena always thought of Ritz crackers when she shaved her legs. Who knew why? And did it even matter?”

“What's the occasion?" she asked.He kissed her ear. "I've got a gorgeous woman who's going to be my bride."She laughed. "You have that every night.""That's why I want to celebrate.”

“Honesty was a tough customer... Once you started allowing yourself some honesty, it couldn't easily be contained or limited to one part of your life. It was like poison ivy or a bossy houseguest. Once it was there, you couldn't tell it what to do. You had to really fight to keep it from taking over. ”