“sometimes you have to get to know someone really well to realize you're really strangers”

“Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”

“I feel about my dogs now, and all the dogs I had prior to this, the way I feel about children—they are that important to me. When I have lost a dog I have gone into a mourning period that lasted for months.”

“You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you.”

“You do not yet understand the God who works in mysterious ways. He decides when it is over.”

“Liam really enjoyed a good movie. He found it restful to watch people's conversations without being expected to join in. But he always felt sort of lonesome if he didn't have someone next to him to nudge in the ribs at the good parts.”

“How to start new novel: stare at blank doc, get coffee, stare, check facebook, stare, crack knuckles, stare, tweet, you get the idea...”