“when faced with a problem you do not understand, do any part of it you do understand, then look at it again.”

“From somewhere, back in my youth, heard Prof say, 'Manuel, when faced with a problem you do not understand, do any part of it you do understand, then look at it again.' He had been teaching me something he himself did not understand very well—something in math—but had taught me something far more important, a basic principle.”

“But now...it's like when part of you stops hurting and suddenly you're yourself again, healthy and whole, and only then do you understand that you've been in pain for a while.”

“...treat people with understanding when you can, and fake it when you can'tuntil you do understand.”

“Allie, what do the Stars tell me to do? You know I don't understand the scientific part.”

“To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.”