“Five thousand miles away and I can still feel your turbulence on my skin, Dustin; your grit stuck in the chambers of my heart . . . and all the silence that has followed it.Please write me back.”

“Sometimes your nearness takes my breath away; and all the things I want to say can find no voice. Then, in silence, I can only hope my eyes will speak my heart.”

“My mother always told me, even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it.”

“This is where the wise man turns away. This is where the holy kneel and call on God. These are the last miles, my brothers. Don't look to me to save you. Don't think I will not spend you. Run if you have the wit. Pray if you have the soul. Stand your ground if courage is yours. But don't follow me.Follow me, and I will break your heart.”

“My daddy has a chain five miles long, on each link a heart for a lover he has lost.”

“You overplayed your cards,” he said. “I can spot manipulation a thousand miles away. I invented the concept.”