“It's what they say to do when you're depressed, you know. Walk in someone else's shoes for a while, and your own won't feel so tight.”

“I used to think that when I grew up there wouldn't be so many rules. Back in elementary school there were rules about what entrance you used in the morning, what door you used going home, when you could talk in the library, how many paper towels you could use in the rest room, and how many drinks of water you could get during recess. And there was always somebody watching to make sure.What I'm finding out about growing older is that there are just as many rules about lots of things, but there's nobody watching.”

“Since no one really knows what or who God is, or whether God is at all, why can't God be hope?”

“Sometimes I wish I could just press a button and be through school and starting my real life,' I told him.'This is your real life, Al,' he said, 'Don't start living in the future. That's like gulping down a piece of fudge cake and then asking yourself, 'Where'd it go?' You're missing the moment.”

“Saying hello to something new means saying good-bye to something old and loved.”

“Just that what happens today or next week or next year isn't necessarily the way things are always going to be. As soon as you settle into a routine, life throws you a curveball. Sometimes you hit it, sometimes you don't.”

“Why is life so complicated....?' I asked.'To keep us from being bored,' he said.”