“Love? Love is like holding water in your hands. You might have it for a time, but it escapes, leaving you with nothing.”

“They say love and hate are closely tied, that they can turn at a moment’s notice.”

“The circus collects the outsiders like a flame tempts moths.”

“The circus had been unlike anything I could ever imagine and I could not walk away. I wanted to be a part of the magic, create it and wield it with such skill that it looked effortless. I wanted to fly.”

“Trying to read slowly when you haven't had time to read is like holding back hunger. It's like having a meal in front of you and knowing you should be polite and use a fork, when all you really want to do is lean over and shovel it in with both hands.”

“That goes for old wounds, too, you know. I really wish we'd had the chance to talk before this," he says, cracking the window so the smoke can escape. "There's a Longfellow quote I have stuck on my bulletin board at the church office- 'There is no grief like the grief that does not speak'- and it's true. I've found that keeping pain inside doesn't give it a chance to heal, but bringing it out into the light, holding it right there in your hands and trusting that you're strong enough to make it through, not hating the pain, not loving it, just seeing it for what it really is can change how you go on from there. Time alone doesn't heal emotional wounds, Sayre, and you don't want to live the rest of your life bottled up with anger and guilt and bitterness. That's how people self-destruct.”

“It’s true that iffriends can never count on you being there the next timethey need you, the place they leave for you might be verysmall. That’s self-defense. If you abandon people—even if it’snot your fault—they will eventually get over you and findsomeone else. Good for them. But you’re an adult now, andyou can build things as deep and as long-lasting as you wantto. I wish you wouldn’t underestimate your ability to makepeople love you. - Aunt Aja”