“You really know how to screw up a perfect night, don’t you?”“You thought it was perfect, huh? Does that mean you had a good time?”“I always do when I’m with you.”

“Brenda, do you know God loves you? He really does. To Him, you're perfect, absolutely perfect. You always have been.”

“Knowing that you are perfect as you are does not mean you will no longer grow. It means that everything you've experienced up to this moment has made you who you are, and that is perfection. Tomorrow, you will be an even more perfect version of yourself.”

“It's still not perfect, and maybe perfection isn't all it's cut out to be anyway. But it's good. It's really good. They say you can't always get what you want. But sometimes you can, and you do, even when you don't deserve it.”

“Gracie. I don’t want this to be about sex. Us. You’re so much more to me than that. I just want you to know. So if you don’t want to do this, please tell me. I’m perfectly content to just hold you in my arms all night.”

“I’ve learned to get really good at this—say one thing when I’m thinking about something else, act like I’m listening when I’m not, pretend to be calm and happy when really I’m freaking out. It’s one of the skillsyou perfect as you get older. You have to learn that people are always listening.”