“Acquire training that will help you take your place in the future.The future belongs to you.”

“We're your safe place, El. Me and Elise. The guys. We're your family. You don't need to pull lattes. You have your degree, you have a great job and you'll take the crappy part of your past and use that to help people get to the good part of their future.”

“The island had come to seem one of those places seen from the train that belong to a life in which we shall never take part.”

“Here is a truth that most teachers will not tell you, even if they know it: Good training is a continual friend and a solace; it helps you now, and assures you of help in the future. Good education is a continual pain in the neck, and assures you always of more of the same.”

“The past was always there, lived inside of you, and it helped to make you who you were. But it had to be placed in perspective. The past could not dominate the future.”

“Now I know there are ways to belong to someone that don’t take anything away. A relationship shouldn’t impose limits—and if it does, then it’s wrong. A lover should help you exceed your potential, not clip your wings.”