“Writing is like everything else: the more you do it the better you get. Don't try to perfect as you go along, just get to the end of the damn thing. Accept imperfections. Get it finished and then you can go back. If you try to polish every sentence there's a chance you'll never get past the first chapter.”

“You don't have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going. Babies don't walk the first time they try, but eventually they get it right”

“Don't you think you can right your wrongs, Laura? That you can make things better by trying to get back to everything you lost?”

“Go for it, while you can. I know you have it in you. And I can't promise you'll get everything you want, but I can promise nothing will change if you don't try.”

“The thing is to be happy,' he said. 'No matter what. Just try that. You can. It gets to be easier and easier. It's nothing to do with circumstances. You wouldn't believe how good it is. Accept everything and then tragedy disappears. Or tragedy lightens, anyway, you're just there, going along easy in the world.”

“You can tell you're reading a really good book when you forget all about everything else and know you'll die if you get to at least the end of the chapter”