“You can miss a lot by sticking to the point.”

“The Hmong have a phrase, hais cuaj txub kaum txub, which means “to speak of all kinds of things.” It is often used at the beginning of an oral narrative as a way of reminding the listeners that the world is full of things that may not seem to be connected but actually are; that no event occurs in isolation; that you can miss a lot by sticking to the point; and that the storyteller is likely to be rather long-winded.”

“There is a sense in which a painted stick is a stick in bloom. This stick points to the hidden face of God. Sometimes it points to you.”

“You missed a lot of heartache, sure. But David, you missed a lot of joy.”

“As wonderful as dogs can be, they are famous for missing the point.”

“Well, you ought to stick with it, even after you mess up-but sticking with it is a lot easier if you have a family who believes in you.”