“You should never have to rely on another person to make you feel whole. That life is dangerous.”

“You will always feel insignificant if you never do anything to change the world or another person's life, other than your own.”

“Toddlers can make you feel as if you have violated some archaic law in their personal Koran and you should die, infidel.”

“You have your whole life ahead of you. Be smart. Study hard and be independent. I'm afraid the chances of your getting a dowry are slim. You must rely on yourself. No matter what else people may steal from you, they will never be able to take away your knowledge. The world is changing. You must make your own life outside this home.”

“The kind of person that thanks another person never survives. Have you learned nothing?”

“In the calculus of feelings, you never really know how one person's absence will affect you more than another's.”