“Jimmy Stewart is always and indisputably the best man in the world, unless Cary Grant should happen to show up.”

“But every time, what brought me to my senses was my conviction that before a person dropped a new life into this world, she should probably get a real one herself.”

“What do you do when you're in love with the last man in the world you can have? You plan a life, a real life, without him.”

“No one is ever quite ready; everyone is always caught off guard. Parenthood chooses you. And you open your eyes, look at what you've got, say "Oh, my gosh," and recognize that of all the balls there ever were, this is the one you should not drop. It's not a question of choice.”

“In certain situations, you can't worry about how people will react. You just have to be as honest as you can and let what happens afterward happen.”

“I know how syrupy this sounds, how dull, provincial, and possibly whitewashed, but what can I do? Happy childhoods happen”

“Happiness isn't what happens when you whistle along, pretending bad things don't exist. . . Happiness is earned, like everything else. It's achieved. ”