“Roxana, when you go back to America, please tell others that our country is not only about the nuclear issue--it's also about people like us." -- my former cellmate, Mahvash Sabet, who is serving 20 years in prison in Iran as one of the leaders of the minority Baha'i faith”

“She's my retirement gift, the platinum watch for being a mother." " This fortunate position - the one you couldn't apply for - is one you can't lose either. It's yours for life: this will always be your daughter's daughter. These two will always be yours, and you, theirs. I'll always be her Nana.”

“It was like hearing customs from an undiscoverd race: what men thought was unimaginable....She wondered if all human activity were like this, everything, every gesture, every comment colored faintly by gender. Each side continually astonished, confused by the other's misperceptions. p 133”

“Where is our gift?Inside our heartWhat is our purpose?To open our heart and start giving our gift away”

“Forget how vast darkness can beFocus on how powerful your light is…When you turn it on”

“Grief was an actual weight, he thought. It felt like a physical burden. You carried it with you all day, unsheddable. Your shoulders, by nightfall, felt dragged down." p 320”

“The crimes you paid for as a parent: excruciating, to be blamed for something you'd never dreamt of doing, or huring someone you'd give your heart's blood to...One thing you learned as a parent was humility.”