“The aim of a PhD's to ensure that no one, including your advisor, understands what you're doing after the first couple of years.”

“This is what we had become, after the first symbiotic year of our living together: a couple who needed another couple to be around.”

“Listen, street punk. You're a guy, and you're a couple inches taller, and maybe forty pounds heavier, and ooh, you're in a gang. But I've survived ten years of Catholic school, and I will cut you off at your knees without a blink. Do you understand?”

“When you're thinking about the rest of your life, you're never really thinking more than a couple years down the road.”

“The one surefire way to get me not to hire you is to send me your resume, especially if you've already got a good job. I won't be interested, because in a couple years, you'll be doing the same thing to me that you're doing to your current boss: looking for a better deal.”

“What she did have, after raising two children, was the equivalent of a PhD in mothering and my undying respect.”