“The world was still a turbulent and uncertain place. And there were serpents.But serpents still make the world a place for adventures, Rose reminded herself.”

“If every babe who cried were still alive, well, then, the world would be a very crowded place, indeed.”

“Seven, ten, fifteen, eighteen years old and still there is nothing finer than a blank sheet of paper, the white promise that the world can be what I make it. A magical place, an adventurous place, a possible place. Erasers take away the mistakes. Another coat of paint to cover them up. Black and red and purple and blue. Always Blue.”

“A world that was crowded with people could still be a very lonely place.”

“It was good, really, that this external world still existed, if only as a place of refuge.”

“Still uncertain as to our identity, we think that what matters in the work world is gaining attention and making friends. And these misconceptions and naïveté are brutally exposed in the light of the real world.”