“Past a certain point, maybe, a person's character defines itself and stays fixed in your mind.”

“Maybe this is the point: to embrace the core sadness of life without toppling headlong into it, or assuming it will define your days.”

“The thing about the past is you can't fix it. It's not there. It won't stay put.”

“...you are defined by how you live your life, not whom you live it with, and certainly not by what you gave up to be with that person.”

“And life changes. Maybe just a little, maybe a lot. And at some point, it just isn't worth the fight to fix it.”

“Memories are peculiar...You think the past is there, all fixed and stable, but it is really chock full of surprises and endlessly susceptible to change...So maybe it is true that we are constantly rewriting our past; they are not something fixed and unchangeable for all time. There is a basic structure, of course, a canvas stretched across boards, which cannot be remodeled at will, but the surface of that canvas can be shaded, rearranged, touched up, continually worked on to correspond to the needs of the present. In fact, the present moment is largely the focal point from which you shape the direction of your future and juggle the implications of your past.”