“There is a reason the word belonging has a synonym for want at its center; it is the human condition.”

“I don't belong to a religion. Religion's the reason the world's falling apart..." That's what religion does. It points a finger. It causes wars. It breaks apart countries. It's a petri dish for stereotypes to grow in. Religion's not about being holy," Shay said. "Just holier-than-thou.”

“Disaster was an avalanche, gathering speed with such acceleration that you worried more about getting out of its path, not finding the pebble at its center.”

“Or. I hate that word. It’s two letters long and stuffed to the gills with reasonable doubt.”

“And if your parents have you for a reason, then that reason better exist. Because once it's gone, so are you.”

“This was the reason there was music, he realized. There were some feelings that didn't have words big enough to describe them.”

“If God wanted us to act on instinct, we wouldn't have the power of reason.”