“An expression of infinite wisdom, as if, in those first days of life, the small person retained the knowledge of a lifetime just passed.”

“In real life turning points are sneaky. They pass by unlabeled and unheeded. Opportunities are missed, catastrophes unwittingly celebrated. Turning points are only uncovered later, by historians who seek to bring order to a lifetime of tangled moments.”

“She was a bookish person who'd never been exposed to books: she was gifted with astute powers of observation, but her thoughts and feelings weren't filtered through those that she'd read, those that had been written before. She had a unique way of seeing the world and a manner of expressing herself that caught Juniper unawares and made her laugh and think and feel things anew.”

“How can a person expect to escape their destiny, Merry? That is the question."A silence, then a small, practical voice. "There's always the train, I guess."Juniper thought at first she'd misheard; she glanced at Meredith and realized that the child was completely serious."I mean, there are buses, too, but I think the train would be faster. A smoother ride, as well.”

“She was the breeze on a summer's day, the first drops of rain when the earth was parched, light from the evening star.”

“Life could be cruel enough these days without the truth making it worse.”

“There were moments in which a person reached a crossroads, when something happened, out of the blue, to change the course of life's events.”