“It's all well and good saying you avoid pain by avoiding relationships, but what about the wonderful things you're avoiding as well? What about the joy and the intimacy and the trust that come with finding someone you love?”

“Avoidance is never the answer. Yes, life is all about pain and trouble and frustration and anger, but it's also about love and friendship and good days and sunshine. You can't have one without the other. If you avoid pain, you avoid living.”

“What matters is not how well you can avoid trouble, but how you cope with trouble when it comes.”

“Long-distance relationships are another way of avoiding intimacy.”

“Allow yourself to think that the possibility of failure is a necessary part of parenting well.... Avoiding the possibility of failure means avoiding the possibility of being an extraordinary parent-and avoiding what you want for your child.”

“Love is messy. If you really love someone, you can't avoid the pain. People die, people leave, things change, but sometimes it all works”