“Pictures never tell the whole story," I say trying to be reassuring. "They're a projection of how people want you to see them”

“I never have people tell me their stories. I usually have to figure them out myself. Because I know that if people tell me stories, they will expect them to be remembered. And I cannot guarantee that. There is no way to know if the stories stay after I'm gone. And how devastating would it be to confide in someone and have the confidence disappear? I don't want to be responsible for that.”

“I knew books could see people around them, they ground their tiny teeth, tried to rattle like windows, stories to tell.”

“There's a story behind every person..There's a reason why they're the way they are. They aren't just like that because they want to be. Something in the past created them, and sometimes it's impossible to fix. You need to understand and try to change the way you think about them. Remember, sometimes you only know their name, not their story and we can't push people to tell us their story.”

“Writing nonfiction means I tell people's stories for them, not because they're special but because we all are.”

“Do not tell people how to live their lives. Just tell them stories and they will figure out how those stories apply to them.”