“How do you know it was the blighted pile? Did you recognize Maiwenn’s gift?”“No, but there was a marble bust of Dorian in there, which I figured must have been his kingdom’s ‘humble’ gift.”

“To be an artist includes much; one must possess many gift -absolute gifts- which have not been acquired by one's effort. And, moreover, to succeed, the artist must possess the courageous soul.”

“Return something not for the possibility of a reward, but for the joy of giving a gift which you did not have to pay for.”

“You could ask yourself, 'How did God Bless me today?' If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God's hand in your life.”

“How many Elysiums have you been to?""Three," I said immediately. "At least...this will be my third one.""And how many Elysiums do you think I've been to?""Um. More than three?""I do appreciate your gift for the understatement.”

“Holiness ... is nothing we can *do* ... It is gift, sheer gift, waiting there to be recognized and received. We do not have to be qualified to be holy. We do not have to be qualified to be whole, or healed.Made”