“Her basic disposition was a good deal sunnier than mine. But I was a better faker.”

“Pessimism is not good for the soul.""I sold my soul years ago.""To whom?""The bitch goddess Success. She cut town before paying off.”

“If you ask me, psychopaths are more talented than the rest of us... but they're still fucking psychopaths.”

“A good chunk of my life had been spent sorting out the scrambled communications, festering hostilities, and frozen affections that characterized families in turmoil. (257)”

“It was shaping up as a beautiful morning. The last thing I wanted to hear about was murder.”

“Optimism is denial for chumps with no life experience"."What's pessimism?" I said."Religion without God.”

“I saw this cartoon in the paper, once. That Viking, Hagar the Horrible? He’s standing on the mountaintop, holding his hands to the heavens, shouting “Why me?” And down from the heavens comes the answer: “Why not?” Maybe that’s the ultimate truth; what right to do I have to expect a smooth ride?”