“History is not what happened but what you are told has happened, irrespective of what is true.”

“If you have not died in the womb, or fallen prey to infant mortality, or to a young girl's greensickness, or to the dangers of childbirth, or if persistent pregnancies and perennial breeding have not worn you to a shadow, and you have not dwindled into a premature grave, then if war, sickness, accident or disease all keep their distance, your chances may be strong for a long life.”

“You must be ready to stay up late to follow it, to begin your conversation with the owl and end it with the cock.”

“Good, strong knickers underneath your nightgown will inhibit access to the fertile crescent.”

“Your nakedness is the work of God the Creator. Let men admire it--and grow religious between your sheets.”

“The pioneer kills what he loves.”

“Just be you-strong and honest. The rest falls into place if you do that. It always has. It always will. Remember that. No matter what happens over the . . . centuries ahead of you, remember to be honest with yourself. And if you fail, forgive yourself. You'll make mistakes. The whole world is new, and they have so many more years in the then you.”