“The scripture comes gently, as a mother comes to her child, so that we who can scarcely crawl on the ground are not left alone in our weakness." (Augustine)”

“But what we are given is taken as well, so that we know God's glory comes to us from His will alone.”

“Abra DeMadrigal didn't look young enough to be my sister anymore. Her sorrow weighed her down and aged her. She was still beautiful, but she looked very far away. No wonder our people had raven eyes, so distant, so sad. No matter how wise she was, my mother looked like a woman who hadn't truely believed how much evil there was in our world. Not until this moment. ”

“The wicked have weakness other than their willingness to kill and maim. Even the bleakest, cruelest soul can have its tender spots. Even the harshest desert has its pools, its shady trees and gentle streams.”

“There comes a time when every one of our people understands that a Jew can never be attached to a place. The rules always change, and we always lose. People will always despise us, and we must be ready to fly away. We cannot have roots in the earth of any country, only in the garden that we carry inside us.”

“You can only know a friend so well after all. When you come right down to it, even your best friend is a puzzle.”

“Never look at other people's bad fortune,' my mother said. 'If you do, it will come back to find you instead of its rightful owner.”