“To make an excuse sidesteps responsibility. But to make a choice automatically assumes responsibility.”

“...you make your own way in life. Sometimes that's hard for people to love, when they can't make you do what they want you to.”

“I found in my possession the ultimate choice. Without a moment's contemplation, I chose my life. I was in a good place, right where I needed to be.”

“You can't fall in love with a man for who he is, and then expect him to change. Just love him, and if he's worth his salt, he'll give you what you need and be the man you need him to be.”

“How did you know you loved Gramps? The way I felt when I was with him. The things he did to me when he wasn't even touching me at all. Just being near him filled me up inside. And those feelings fade through the years. They peak and valley, coming and going, then the real stuff kicks in, and you truly find out if you love one another. Sometimes you think you have grown apart or made a wrong decision. But then you watch him sitting across the table, the same place he's sat for fifty years, having his coffee and reading his newspaper. And you remember all those old feelings, realizing you wouldn't trade him for anything.”

“How can a man, devoid of nutritional value, fill me up?”

“He grinned, raising the glass to his lips, the liquid wetting his mouth. I wanted to be that glass. -from chapter Hurts So Good, The Boots My Mother Gave Me”