“Ask any comedian, tennis player, chef. Timing is everything.”

“It was not a big smile, not particularly bold or polite or ironic or glib, not asking for anything or offering anything, not stringy or careless, not, in short, like any smile I had ever experienced before. But such a smile! You could burn a hole in the world with that smile.”

“If you haven't been in a war and are wondering how long it takes to get used to losing everything you think you need or love, I can tell you the answer is no time at all.”

“And then without any signal or obvious sign of tansformation, the beach was suddenly alight with fiery stones.”

“… not like any smile i had ever experienced before. but such a smile! you could burn a hole in the world with that smile”

“Time erodes us all.”

“After all this time, I know exactly where I belong.”