“My experience with tragedy is that people will offer condolences and support but never be around when you want to collect.”

“Philosophers should be offered condolences rather than encouragement.”

“Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”

“It felt so weird, to be on the other side, where you were the one expected to offer condolences, not receive them. I wanted my "sorry" to sound genuine, because it was. That was the hard thing about grief, and the grieving. They spoke another language, and the words we knew always fell short of what we wanted to say.”

“Life is a collection of experiences. You don't want to get to the end and realize you don't have any.”

“The highest, most decisive experience is to be alone with one's own self. You must be alone to find out what supports you, when you find that you can not support yourself. Only this experience can give you an indestructible foundation.”