“Stalin mi aveva portato via la casa e mio padre e ora si era preso anche il mio compleanno.”

“Vi siete mai chiesti quanto vale una vita umana? Quella mattina la vita di mio fratello valeva un orologio da taschino.”

“Vorrei non doverci pensare, a volte vorrei sentire semplicemente quella sensazione che provo quando dormo nel sacco a pelo, guardando le stelle. Ma sinceramente mi piace anche molto starmene in casa, mi piacciono molto anche le lenzuola, profumate e pulite, la luce soffusa, il frigorifero, il forno, i tappeti, le candele e gli incensi, i miei libri, le fotografie, i piatti, le scodelle, i bicchieri, le tazzine, il latte, il caffè fatto con la moka, la doccia, la vasca da bagno, i cuscini, il computer, il suono del mio stereo, il videoregistratore, il suono del mio compleanno, il pavimento e il soffitto.L'equilibrio, le carezze, il silenzio.”

“Tadas was sent to the principal today," announced Jonas at dinner. He wedged a huge piece of sausage into his small mouth."Why?" I asked."Because he talked about hell," sputtered Jonas, juice from the plump sausage dribbling down his chin."Jonas, don't speak with your mouth full. Take smaller pieces," scolded Mother."Sorry," said Jonas with his moth stuffed. "It's good." He finished chewing. I took a bite of sausage. It was warm and the skin was deliciously salty."Tadas told one of the girls that hell is the worst place ever and there's no escape for all eternity.""Now why would Tadas be talking of hell?" asked Papa, reaching for the vegetables."Because his father told him that if Stalin comes to Lithuania, we'll all end up there.”

“It is estimated that Josef Stalin killed more than twenty million people during his reign of terror. The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia lost more than a third of their population during the Soviet genocide. The deportations reached as far as Finland. To this day, many Russians deny they ever deported a single person. But most Baltic people harbor no grudge, resentment, or ill will. They are grateful to the Soviets who showed compassion. Their freedom is precious, and they are learning to live within it. For some, the liberties we have as American citizens came at the expense of people who lie in unmarked graves in Siberia. Like Joana for Lina, our freedom cost them theirs. Some wars are about bombing. For the people of the Baltics, this war was about believing. In 1991, after 50 years of brutal occupation, the three Baltic countries regained their independence, peacefully and with dignity. They chose hope over hate and showed the world that even through the darkest night, there is light. Please research it. Tell someone. These three tiny nations have taught us that love is the most powerful army. Whether love of friend, love of country, love of God, or even love of enemy - love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit.”

“Edward a Bella:«Cosa ti tenta di più: il mio sangue o il mio corpo?»«L'uno e l'altro». Si lasciò scappare un sorriso, poi tornò serio. «Ora, perché non smetti di sfidare la sorte e ti metti a dormire?».”

“(…), il giorno in cui mi aveva promesso il Plaza se avessi trovato l'uomo giusto. Quel ricordo mi colmò di gioia invece di farmi piangere. Non avevo trovato l'uomo giusto, ma per la prima volta mi rendevo conto che il messaggio di mio padre non aveva niente a che fare con quello. Lui voleva semplicemente dirmi che avrei trovato la felicità e la serenità e quello che era meglio per me, ma solo dopo aver cercato con impegno e fatica. (…) E poi, aveva voluto dirmi di non avere paura, di non smettere di cercare.”