“I've heard people talk about the circle of life. What comes around goes around and other such contiguous descriptions. But I think life is a seesaw, the kind that used to populate every children's playground. Seesaws rarely balance. They're usually in motion, either flinging you up or dropping you down. They can be fun or they can be terrifying - a lot of it depends on the other person.”

“Some guys will say all kinds of things to look macho and save face,” Max said. “Guys are jerks sometimes. But in his heart, a man loves his wife or girlfriend for so many reasons besides her outward appearance. Think of it - as a couple they’ve probably been through a lot together. Unless their sex life is trashed or they can’t trust each other or they’re fighting all the time, there’s so much more to a relationship than just looks. And you have to understand, when a guy really loves a woman, he can’t imagine his life without her. Even if she isn’t the most beautiful woman in the world anymore, she’s still the woman who captured his heart.”

“Men tell you exactly who they are at the beginning. Believe them.”

“Balance. It was all about balance. That had been one of the first things that she had learned: the centre of the seesaw has neither up nor down, but upness and downness flow through it while it remains unmoved. You had to be the centre of the seesaw so the pain flowed through you, not into you. It was very hard. But she could do it!”

“But when the seesaw of good fortune sinks downward for one person, it is very often on its way up for someone else. This little-known law of physics is called the Fulcrum of Fortune, and although most people prefer to think of fortune as a wheel that spins, the fulcrum (that is, seesaw) is a more accurate depiction for most of us, since the worse our own luck becomes, the more likely we are to notice the good fortune of those around us and brood about the injustice of it all.”

“I'VE LEARNED THAT YOU CAN'T CONTROL WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK ABOUT YOU.THE BEST YOU CAN DO IN LIFE IS NOT PISS YOURSELFOFF.”

“Treat other people's home as you want them to respect yours because what goes around comes around.”