“The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in.”

“I don't care if the whole town comes, as long as you come, Bailey boy.”

“I could tell you an extensively strange story, I warned.Oh, good! Gram said. Delicious!”

“Mrs. Mudkin closed her eyes. "We should pray.""I ain't praying," Crazy Cora said. Mrs. Mudkin said, "Lord, please bless---""I ain't praying.""--this land and the people who--""I ain't praying.""--have toiled on this earth--""Stop that praying.""I can pray if I want to.""Then be quiet about it.”

“Joe, my guardian and a man of few words, once said about Lizzie, “That girl could talk the ears off a cornfield.”

“I was full of struggles! And that made me so happy: If I was full of struggles, maybe I was interesting!”

“My granny Torrelli says when you are angry with someone, so angry you are thinking hateful things, so angry maybe you want to punch them, then you should think of the good things about them, and the nice things they've said, and why you liked them in the first place.”