“There was pie on the table when Tugs returned. Pie in the Button family meant trouble.”

“Some people have a lucky rabbit's good, or a lucky coin, but here in Goodhue, we have a lucky Button. Tugs Button.”

“Tugs used to think that everyone's name was in the dictionary, and when she had realized it was only hers, both Tugs and Button, she felt suddenly fond and possessive of it, as if this book were put here for her guidance alone.”

“The dictionary says progress means moving forward. Herbert Hoover was just a boy in Iowa. Then he lived all over the world helping solve problems. Now he is president of the United States. That is progress. And Iowas is part of progress. So I am part of progress. - Tugs Button”

“Tugs was surprised to find that the cake was actually pretty dry and not as good as the cakes her own mother made. It was a revelation. Tugs had assumed that tastier food came out of fancier houses.”

“Tugs had felt a sense of possibility today as she made that small speech, and there had to be a way to get that feeling back.”

“Jealousy always has been my cross, the weakness and woundedness in me that has most often caused me to feel ugly and unlovable, like the Bad Seed. I’ve had many years of recovery and therapy, years filled with intimate and devoted friendships, yet I still struggle. I know that when someone gets a big slice of pie, it doesn’t mean there’s less for me. In fact, I know that there isn’t even a pie, that there’s plenty to go around, enough food and love and air.But I don’t believe it for a second.I secretly believe there’s a pie. I will go to my grave brandishing my fork.”