“We want our children to have a childhood that's magical and enriched, but I'll bet that your best childhood memories involve something you were thrilled to do by yourself. These are childhood's magic words: "I did it myself!”

“We have to learn to remind the other parents who think we're being careless when we loosen our grip that we are actually trying to teach our children how to get along in the world, and that we believe this is our job. A child who can fend for himself is a lot safer than one forever coddled, because the coddled child will not have Mom or Dad around all the time, even though they act as if he will.”

“You don't remember the times your dad held your handle bars. You remember the day he let go.”

“Who's crazy: people who trust other people, or people who don't?”

“It's a secret code," said Calvin. "Girls are not not like boys. If a boy wants to kill you, he says 'I'm going to kill you.' If a girl wants to kill you, she says, 'We need to talk.' That's the code."I gasped. "Has a girl ever wanted to talk to you?" I asked. "Yup," said Calvin."How come you're still alive?" I asked."I vomited," said Calvin.”

“I wonder sometimes, though, does this collective rating of memories add value to our existence here? Do certain parts of people's pasts deserve to be remembered while others are forgotten?”

“Ambition robs you of your childhood. The moment you want to become an adult—in any way—something in your childhood dies.”