“There is a physics to the world, which non-fiction has a contract to stand in awe of, otherwise it becomes completely self-centered and ego-driven, which is the death of a memoir.”

“In mourning it is the world which has become poor and empty; in melancholia it is the ego itself.”

“I opened the book to the title page, which said the book was "A Fictional Memoir." I had no idea what this meant, except that maybe it was one of the ways that Exley was crazy: maybe when he called his book a fictional memoir, it meant that he couldn't make up his mind, which is one of the things people really mean when they call someone crazy.”

“Jody noticed that the kid was focused on the breasts, which were defying gravity, and apparently death itself, by standing there at complete attention”

“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love”

“We stand in awe before that which cannot be seen. We respect with every fiber of our being that which cannot be explained.”