“The poor love life as passionately as the rich do. Perhaps more, for the effort it takes to cling to it.”

“It is often said that New York is a city for only the very rich and the very poor. It is less often said that New York is also, at least for those of us who came there from somewhere else, a city for only the very young.”

“Within the first twenty years of our lives, before we are really adult, we make choices motivated by insecurity, fear, and other people's expectations; certinly not guided by clarity and wisdom. We plod along for years living with the wrong career or spousal choice, in a location we did not choose and perhaps do not like, and much more. One day we wake up restless and confused, and acknowledge that we have no agenda of our own, and that we have been living someone else's passion, their dream.”

“It takes time to learn to live in the here and now. You have to hang on past the bad times, ... If you do hang on and do not run from your life you discover that you have more control of your thoughts and feelings, and your life, than you believed possible. You learn to quiet your frantic mind, to downgrade your expectations of things and people, find pleasure in solitude, and finally discover who you really are.”

“My, I get so depressed after a poor meal; that's why I can never stay in England for more than a week.Julia to Avis”

“Continually setting goals and striving to achieve them is what makes life worthwhile!”

“The more I take, the less I'm awake. The more I need, the greater my greed. The more I care, the more I'm aware. The more I give, the better I live.”