“...Things happenedwhen you were little. Things youdon't remember now, and don't wantto. But they need to escape,need to worm their way outof that dark place in your brainwhere you keep them stashed.”

“God is love," she said. "And he respects love, whether it's between a parents, and child, a man and woman, or friends. I don't think he cares about religion one little bit. Live your life right. Love with all your heart. Don't hurt others, and help those in need. That is all you need to know. And don't worry about heaven. If it exists, you'll be welcome.”

“Life is all about change. If it were static, think about how boring it would be. You can't be afraid of it, and you can't worry that you'll mess things up. You deserve good things, and I want to be one of them.”

“Crank, You See isn't any ordinary monster. It's like a giant octopus, weaving its tentacles not just around you, but through you, squeezing not hard enough to kill you, but enough to keep you from reeling until you try to get away. Try, and you hunger for it grasping clutch, the way its tendrils prop you up, your need intensifying exponentially every minute you refuse to admit its being (p.469)”

“Not Exactly TrueThat skin hate is dead.There will never be colorblindness in a culture offear.But when you live afraidof your neighbor, the monsteryou should most walkin terror ofthrives.It starts as a little thing,small enough to burrowinto your pores, take upexcruciating residenceinthe dark recesses of your brain.Its name is paranoia,and it spreads like an oilspill, there inthe shadows,chokes your humanity.Threatens your soul.”

“Starving for a high, a place to hang out inside my own head. Starving for touch. Pain, even. A way to feel. I need to feel.”

“You can’t walk away from someone you love, leave them drowning in your desertion. If love has no more meaning than that, you can keep it. I don’t want it now or ever again. Don’t want to hear the word or wear its scars.”