“Vulnerability is a pretty scary thing. You can feel naked in a lot of different ways.”

“Watch out for men who love something more than themselves or you. Their passion can be your prison.”

“I thought it was who I was with or where I was that defined me in some way. I realize now that I decide who I am, no matter the company I keep or the place I am.”

“But really, all memories are like paintings: They can be incredibly vivid and lifelike. But in the end, they both just remind us that we only get to live any particular moment once, even if we remember it forever.”

“Happily ever after is not a place: It's a state of being, and you have to work at it every day.”

“Just because you're from a small town doesn't mean that you're small. Don't ever think anyone's more important than you are or has more valid experiences.”

“I don't know where this story ends, Bubby, and that's okay.”