“She got herself widowed, divorced, married, and pregnant – all in ten days’ time.”

“It was a good thing that she got herself into this other school. It showed her that there were other worlds beside the world she had been born into and that these other worlds were not unattainable.”

“Mother! Katie remembered. She had called her own mother "mama" until the day she had told her that she was going to marry Johnny. She had said, "Mother, I'm going to marry..." She had never said "mama" after that. She had finished growing up when she stopped calling her mother “mama.” Now Francie…”

“She adapted herself to the split-second rhythm of the New Yorker going to and from work. Getting to the office was a nervous ordeal. If she arrived one minute before nine, she was a free person. If she arrived one minute after, she worried because that made her the logical scapegoat of the boss if he happened to be in a bad mood that day.”

“The child will grow up and find out things for herself. She will know that I lied. She will be disappointed." "That is what is called learning the truth.”

“She sat in the sunshine watching the life on the street and guarding within herself, her own mystery of life.”

“Was that a bad lady, Papa?" she asked eagerly.No."But she looked bad."There are very few bad people. There are just a lot of people that are unlucky."But she was all painted and..."She was one who had seen better days.”