“It was OK to need people; she was learning that. You just had to be careful.”

“But then she hadn’t just learned to love this summer – she had also learned how to need.”

“It took me awhile to learn the rules. OK, it took the librarian in me weeks of careful obsessive research to learn the rules. There was a label maker involved. I'd rather not go into it.”

“If you set up your life so that the people you need you, that's ok. If you set up your life so that you don't need anyone - then you need to be prepared for the experience of aloneness.”

“Remember on this one thing, said Badger. The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. That is why we put these stories in each other's memories. This is how people care for themselves. ”

“Ash held one finger up. "OK. Now listen-"Mary-Lynnette kicked him in the shins. She knew it was inapporopriate, she knew it was uncalled-for, but she couldn't stop herself. She just had to."Oh, for God's sake," Ash said, hopping backward. "Are you crazy?”