“But of course Anton turned out to be brave and strong, and so he died while he was still unlikable.”

“She was a woman who cared more about what she was right about than about being right.”

“By July we had strawberries, red currants, raspberries, veal, dill, baby turnips, marrow. Mussolini resigned, and Italy capitulated. Roses could be had.”

“The astute journalist had commented that Russians enjoy themselves without smiling, always taking their pleasure sadly.”

“A man is ruled by appetite and remorse, and I swallowed what I could.”

“That's the real mystery, isn't it? Not whether he was a common merchant or the queen's son, but how he could understand so much about human nature. And write about it in a way that still rings true, all these years later.' ". . . " 'That's Shakespeare's secret. . .”

“It’s not always going to be easy, and you will, without a doubt, screw up over and over again; but the next morning you’ll wake up a new, changed person, and you’ll try again. Be strong. Be brave. And, please, be good.”