“Some people like knowing what's going to happen.”

“You should step out of the box more often. See what the world has to offer.”“I stepped out of the box the night I broke the statue, and look where that got me.”“Exactly! You had a chance to get to know me as a result. Talk about lucky. Think what could happen if you tried again.”

“There really isn't a good way to tell a relative stranger that you think dead people are trying to tell you something. It's personal information. It's like telling someone you just met that you have a yeast infection. It might be true, but it's not the kind of thing people want to know about you. Plus, you know that every time they see you after that it will be the first thing they think about: There she is, the girl with the yeast infection/ghost problem.”

“You know it's absolutely fine for people to disagree, to be mad at each other.”

“What's wrong? Are you trying to make me lose it? Why didn't you say something when I came in?""I didn't know I was supposed to. You called out for your mom. I didn't know I was required to announce my presence like it was roll call.”

“Brenda cared for our bacteria with a love and affection that some people don’t show their flesh-and-blood children. She would sneak in between classes to coo encouragingly at them, cheering on their growth.”

“Looks to me like you need help. Do you know that you're wearing Thursday panties and today's Monday?”